ENDOGENOUS CONTROL AND MODULATION OF INFLAMMATION

Inflammation is the body's reaction to invasion by an infectious agent , antigen challenge or even just physical, chemical or traumatic damag e. To avoid damage of the surrounding tissue, inflammatory responses m ust be well ordered and controlled. The development of inflammatory re actions is mainly controlled by vasoactive substances, cytokines, prod ucts of the plasma enzyme systems, bioactive lipids, and adhesive reac tions between individual inflammatory cells or between them and molecu les of extracellular matrix. The mediators of inflammation controlling different types of inflammatory reactions differ. This review briefly describes the role of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines , including chemoattractant cytokines (chemokines), acute phase reacta nts, and the molecular mechanism of leucocyte emigration from the post capillary venules.