The future of antiinflammatory therapy

The cells and mediators that make up the inflammatory response have the pot ential to injure tissues and contribute to the pathophysiology of many infl ammatory diseases. Strategies to reduce neutrophil migration into sites of inflammation and subsequent activation by inhibiting integrin-mediated adhe sion hold promise for successful treatment of a variety of inflammatory dis eases. New pharmacologic agents that specifically target prostanoid mediato rs of inflammation by specifically inhibiting the activity of cyclooxygenas e 2 are potent antiinflammatory agents with fewer gastrointestinal side eff ects than nonspecific cyclooxygenase inhibitors. These areas of antiinflamm atory research are rapidly yielding drugs with diverse future applications in equine medicine.