Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Inflammatory & Anti-Allergy Agents - Volume 4, Issue 1, 2005

In general, there are two types of immune systems: innate immunity and acquired immunity. The innate immune system provides the first line of defense against many common microorganisms including bacteria and virus. This primitive immune system provides broad but relatively non-specific host defense that lacks the properties of antigenic specificity and immunological memory. In contrast, the acquired immune syst Read More

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) recognize specific molecular patterns of pathogenic microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and virus. Stimulation of TLRs triggers gene expression involved in innate immune response and further instructs development of antigen-specific adaptive immunity. Molecular mechanisms by which TLRs activate innate immunity are now being elucidated through analysis of TLR-mediated si Read More

Toll-like receptors (TLRs), interleukin 1 receptor (IL-1R), IL-18 receptor (IL-18R) and plant R are vital to the induction of acute inflammation as well as various adaptive immune responses upon invasion of microorganisms. These receptors share a common cytoplasmic domain called the TIR (TLR / IL-1R / plant R) domain and the signaling cascade involving the TIR domain is conserved from invertebrate to vertebrate. The engagem Read More

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) belong to the Toll-IL-1 receptor superfamily, which is defined by a common intracellular Toll-IL-1 receptor (TIR)-domain. These receptors employ related yet distinct signaling components and downstream pathways, leading to activation of the transcription factors NFkB, ATF and IRF3. Recent studies have also begun to unravel how these pathways are negatively regulated. SIGIRR (also known as TIR Read More

Toll like receptors (TLRs) function as signaling receptors for pathogen-derived molecules and provoke innate immune responses, which are preparatory for initiating acquired immunity. Each TLR triggers both common and unique signals, resulting in the activation of a specific set of transcription factors and hence the activation of common and specific target genes. Some members of the Interferon Regulatory Factor Read More

The Receptor interacting protein-2 (Rip2, also called RICK, CARDIAK) is an intracellular serine-threonine kinase that contains a carboxy-terminal caspase activation and recruitment domain (CARD). The initial biochemical analysis emphasized a role for Rip2 in the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kB) and apoptosis when overexpressed. The subsequent generation of mice with a targeted deletion of the gene for Rip2 an Read More

Nod proteins are defined as proteins carrying nucleotide-oligomerization domains (NODs) and are involved in regulation of immune responses and apoptosis. The Nod protein family contains 23 human members including Nod1, Nod2, cryopyrin, Ipaf, Apaf-1 and CIITA, as well as thousands of plant proteins, which are involved in pathogen-specific defense responses. A Nod protein generally contains an amino-terminal domain f Read More

The leukocyte adhesion molecule DNAM-1 (CD226) is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily and constitutively expressed on the majority of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, monocytes / macrophages, platelets and megakaryocytes and a subset of B lymphocytes. The poliovirus receptor (CD155) and its family member nectin 2 (CD112) have recently been identified as the ligands for DNAM-1. Intera Read More

CDd-restricted NKT cells are a unique subset of lymphocytes bridging innate and acquired immunity and mediating both effector and regulatory functions in immune responses. NKT cells are essential for the protection against pathogens or tumors, and also play a regulatory role in transplantation tolerance and autoimmune disease development. This review focuses on the various functions of NKT cells and discusse Read More

Some medicinal plants, which are known to produce allergic reactions, are also specifically used as antiinflammatory agents. Among the more relevant plants, we report species with cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic alcohol, geraniol, hydroxycitronellal, eugenol and isoeugenol are all potential allergens. In addition, fragrances, which are mixtures of small-molecular-weight compounds, may induce allergic contact dermatitis due Read More

Allergic disorders are characterized by typical symptoms and an infiltrate of cells, including Th2 lymphocytes, eosinophils and mast cells. Activated mast cell mediators cause the early appearance of symptoms, and cytokines induce a cascade of inflammatory events. Both resident and infiltrating cells are important sources of those mediators and cytokines which maintain and enhance the allergic inflammatory respons Read More

Somatostatin binds to five receptors sst1-sst5, belonging to the G-protein coupled receptor super family. So far, only sst2 preferring analogs, presenting also high affinity for sst5 and moderate affinity for sst3, are available for clinical use to treat certain hormonal disorders and tumors (pituitary adenomas and gastroenteropancreatic tumors) with longlasting efficacy and minimal side-effects as observed in patients with Read More