A crucial role for CD44 in inflammation

Current therapies for chronic inflammatory diseases typically act through t he nonspecific downregulation of immune cell activation. However, it is bec oming increasingly evident that parenchymal cells are also active participa nts in the inflammatory process. Future prospects for the treatment of infl ammation should therefore include the targeting of specific inflammatory pa thways in both immune cells and parenchymal cells. CD44, a cell-adhesion mo lecule that is ubiquitously expressed on leukocytes and parenchymal cells, has been implicated, together with its ligand hyaluronan (HA), in several i nflammatory diseases, The mechanisms of action of CD44-HA interactions in i nflammation might provide potential targets for therapy.