Phosphodiesterase (PDE)4 inhibitors: anti-inflammatory drugs of the future?

Phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4) plays a major role in modulating the activity of virtually all cells involved in the inflammatory process. Inhibitors of this enzyme family display impressive anti-inflammatory and disease-modifying effects in a variety of experimental models. In this review, Mauro Teixeira, Robert Gristwood, Nicola Cooper and Paul Hellewell examine the capacity of PDE4 inhibitors to exert anti-inflammatory actions in vivo and discuss the potential of this class of drugs to take their place as novel therapeutic agents for a variety of inflammatory diseases.