Ajuebor Maureen N, Swain Mark G, Perretti Mauro
Liver Unit, Gastrointestinal Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1.
Biochem Pharmacol. 2002 Apr 1;63(7):1191-6. doi: 10.1016/s0006-2952(02)00854-7.
Chemokines and their receptors are a large family of inflammatory molecules responsible for a number of biological functions, including the accumulation of leukocytes at tissue sites. Over the past 10 years, a number of studies have indicated a role for chemokines and chemokine receptors in the pathophysiology of several inflammatory diseases, examples of which are multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gastrointestinal diseases including hepatic disease. For this reason, it is not surprising that modulation of their pharmacology could be a prime target for drug discovery. This commentary provides a brief synopsis of our current knowledge of the role of chemokines and their receptors in the inflammatory process, and highlights the pros and possibly cons of chemokine and chemokine receptor antagonism in the therapeutic approach to several inflammatory diseases.
趋化因子及其受体是一大类炎症分子，负责多种生物学功能，包括白细胞在组织部位的聚集。在过去十年中，多项研究表明趋化因子及其受体在多种炎症性疾病的病理生理学中发挥作用，其中包括多发性硬化症、动脉粥样硬化、类风湿性关节炎以及包括肝病在内的胃肠道疾病。因此，调节它们的药理学特性成为药物研发的主要靶点也就不足为奇了。本评论简要概述了我们目前对趋化因子及其受体在炎症过程中作用的认识，并强调了在几种炎症性疾病的治疗方法中，趋化因子和趋化因子受体拮抗作用的优点以及可能存在的缺点。
