Anti-Inflammatory Therapy in Chronic Disease: Challenges and Opportunities

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 339; no. 6116; pp. 166 - 172
• Main Authors: Tabas, Ira, Glass, Christopher K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 11.01.2013; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Alzheimers disease; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; Antiinflammatories; Atherosclerosis; Autoimmune diseases; Autoimmune Diseases - drug therapy; Autoimmune Diseases - physiopathology; Biomedical research; Cardiovascular Diseases - drug therapy; Cardiovascular Diseases - physiopathology; Chronic Disease - drug therapy; Chronic diseases; Cytokines; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - physiopathology; Drugs; Epidemiology; Humans; Immunology; Infections; Inflammation; Inflammation - drug therapy; Inflammation - physiopathology; Inflammatory diseases; Inflammatory response; Medical treatment; Neurodegenerative Diseases - drug therapy; Neurodegenerative Diseases - physiopathology; Pathways; REVIEWS; Survival; Therapy
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1230720

A number of widespread and devastating chronic diseases, including atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease, have a pathophysiologically important inflammatory component. In these diseases, the precise identity of the inflammatory stimulus is often unknown and, if known, is difficult to remove. Thus, there is interest in therapeutically targeting the inflammatory response. Although there has been success with anti-inflammatory therapy in chronic diseases triggered by primary inflammation dysregulation or autoimmunity, there are considerable limitations. In particular, the inflammatory response is critical for survival. As a result, redundancy, compensatory pathways, and necessity narrow the risk:benefit ratio of anti-inflammatory drugs. However, new advances in understanding inflammatory signaling and its links to resolution pathways, together with new drug development, offer promise in this area of translational biomedical research.