Chemokines–perspectives for using agents that block their action in therapy
Kazimiera Waśniowska 1
Abstract
The chemokines are a large family of chemotactic cytokines, produced by tissue cells and leukocytes, which regulate leukocytes migration in inflammation and immunity. All the described human chemokines (approximately 50) transmit intracellular signals by binding and activating specific G protein-coupled receptors on the cell surfaces of their target cells. Chemokines appear to be involved in a variety of proinflammatory and autoimmune diseases, and this makes them and their receptors very attractive therapeutic targets. Antagonists of several chemokine receptors have demonstrated potent antiviral or anti-inflammatory activity and may represent therapeutic agents for the treatment of inflammation, as well as autoimmune and viral diseases.