Role of signal transduction pathways in lung inflammatory responses

A variety of cell types participate in lung inflammation. Macrophages and e pithelial cells play an important role in the inflammatory process by relea sing cytokines in a complex cell to cell network. Interleukins are importan t mediators of this eel signalling. The interleukins IL-6 and IL-8 are rele ased from epithelial cells in response to noxious agents such as particles, bacterial and fungal toxins and various chemicals. Though the involvement of, e.g. NF-IL-B (C/EBP-beta) in the regulation of interleukins has been re ported, the role of different signal transduction pathways in the regulatio n of these mediators has not been thoroughly investigated in lung epithelia l cells. The involvement of different signal transduction pathways in the r elease of inflammatory markers is discussed with special emphasis on the ef fect of lung toxic compounds in human and rat lung epithelial cells. (C) 20 00 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.