Van Dyke Thomas E, Kornman Kenneth S
Department of Periodontology and Oral Biology, Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, 100 E. Newton Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
J Periodontol. 2008 Aug;79(8 Suppl):1503-7. doi: 10.1902/jop.2008.080239.
The concept of inflammation has a long history. Although an inflammatory response to injury or another trigger is necessary, chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease and diabetes, may develop because of unchecked inflammatory responses that have maladapted over decades. For example, the earliest changes in atherosclerosis occur in the endothelium, leading to a cascade of inflammatory responses, such as accumulation of monocytes and T cells, migration of leukocytes into the intima, monocyte differentiation and proliferation, and lesion and fibrous cap development. Inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein, may allow clinical insight into these decades-long processes, adding value to predictive measures of disease outcomes. Anti-inflammatory factors, such as adiponectin, may provide further understanding of the inflammatory pathways involved. Greater understanding of the complex pathways involved in inflammation may provide alternative therapeutic strategies to combat inflammation and chronic diseases potentially arising from it.
炎症的概念有着悠久的历史。尽管对损伤或其他触发因素的炎症反应是必要的，但诸如冠心病和糖尿病等慢性疾病可能会因数十年间未加控制且适应不良的炎症反应而发展。例如，动脉粥样硬化最早的变化发生在内皮，导致一系列炎症反应，如单核细胞和T细胞的积聚、白细胞向内膜的迁移、单核细胞的分化和增殖以及病变和纤维帽的形成。炎症标志物，如C反应蛋白，可能有助于临床洞察这些长达数十年的过程，为疾病预后的预测指标增添价值。抗炎因子，如脂联素，可能有助于进一步了解所涉及的炎症途径。对炎症所涉及的复杂途径有更深入的了解，可能会提供对抗炎症及可能由此引发的慢性疾病的替代治疗策略。
