Cytokine polymorphisms and inflammation

Cytokines and chemokines are important mediators of inflammation. The numbe rs are still expanding. It is clear that these mediators act in positive an d negative feedback loops in a complex network to allow inflammation as wel l as repair. to take place. The fact that many of these molecules and their receptors are polymorphic with functional consequences is becoming clear. Such genetic polymorphisms will impact on the network to produce a variety of inflammatory responses, both acute and chronic.