Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 18, Issue 16, 2012

In this special issue, current insights in the pathomechanisms of inflammatory diseases are reviewed by experts in the field. The involvement of mast cells in allergic and inflammatory diseases is discussed by Theoharides and coauthors [1]. Mast cells are known for their key effector role in allergic diseases, but evidence for their contribution to chronic inflammatory, neurologic and autoimmune diseases is emerging. In the r Read More

Mast cells are important in the development of allergic and anaphylactic reactions, but also in acquired and innate immunity. There is also increasing evidence that mast cells participate in inflammatory diseases, where they can be activated by non-allergic triggers, such as neuropeptides and cytokines, often having synergistic effects as in the case of substance P (SP) and IL-33. Secretion of vasoactive medi Read More

Mast cells are increasingly recognized as critical players in elicitation and maintenance of different inflammatory related disorders, like allergy, autoimmne diseases and cancer. Mast cells maturate within the tissue and are able to adapt to microenvironmental changes. Together with the ability to produce multiple pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators upon activation, mast cells are highly capable of exerting immunomod Read More

The nervous and immune systems collaborate in the control of homeostasis and host defence. All divisions of the nervous system, sympathetic, parasympathetic and sensory, act to regulate immune cell function. Processes under neuronal control include antigen processing and presentation, Th1/Th2 balance, immunoglobulin production and antigen specific responses, while involvement of the central nervous system allows for Read More

Vaccinations have been given to people for at least 100 years of which 80 years formulated in adjuvants. Currently, aluminium- containing formulas and the oil-based substance called MF59 are the two adjuvants licensed for clinical use. Despite the massive use of aluminium adjuvant, its mechanism of action has been only recently addressed. In this review, we will discuss both the cellular and molecular mode of action of Read More

The question what makes an allergen an allergen puzzled generations of researchers. Pollen grains of anemophilous plants are the most important allergen carriers in ambient air, and pollinosis is a highly prevalent multi-organ disease in civilized countries. In the past, research on the allergenicity of pollen has mainly focused on elucidating genetic predisposing factors and on defining certain structural characteristics of Read More

Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are two important lung and airways diseases which affect the lives of ∼500 million people worldwide. Asthma is a heterogeneous disease that is broadly defined as a clinical syndrome characterized by altered lung function, mucus hypersecretion, peribronchial inflammation and hyperresponsiveness In contrast, the effect of inhalation of toxic particles and gases on Read More

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is an important lung and airway disease which affects the lives of around 200 million people worldwide with an increasing incidence particularly in developing countries. The pathogenesis of COPD is based on the innate and adaptive inflammatory immune response to the inhalation of toxic particles and gases. Although cigarette smoking is the primary cause of this inf Read More

Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS), a chronic upper airway inflammation, is an inflammation of the nose and the paranasal cavities and is highly prevalent. Chronic rhinosinusitis is currently classified as CRS with nasal polyps or CRS without nasal polyps. This review highlights the pathophysiological differences in CRS on remodeling and on T-cell patterns. Nasal polyps have a high co-morbidity with the lower airway Read More

IL-7, expressed by stromal cells in primary lymphoid organs, is known for its critical role in the development and homeostatic expansion of T cells in humans and mice. IL-7 is equally important for B cell development in human and mice, but only in mice seems critical for B cell development and expansion. Recent studies demonstrate that this potent immunostimulatory cytokine is overexpressed in inflamed tissues of patients wit Read More

Most cell types can release vesicles. Cell-derived vesicles are increasingly recognized as an evolutionary wide-spread mechanism of intercellular communication. The paracrine and long range activity of vesicles and their regulated cargo-composition endows these vesicles with regulatory properties beyond that of the parental cell. The release and biogenesis of cell-derived vesicles is a dynamic and tightly controlled proces Read More

The so-called hygiene hypothesis is, at least in part, accountable for the increase in allergic diseases in the developed countries. Although there is support for one of its primary predictions that host-microbe interactions in early life have longterm effects on the development of disease across populations, the theory has already proven to be imperfect as many more recent increases in certain diseases cannot be explained by t Read More

The diet is considered to have a major impact on human health. Dietary lipids including long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) possess potent immunomodulatory activities. Over the last decades the incidence of inflammatory disorders including allergic and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been rising. This phenomenon is associated with deficiencies in N-3 LCPUFA, found in fatty fish, and increased content of N-6 Read More