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Anti-inflammatory Activity

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Sesquiterpene Lactones

Abstract

It is known that inflammation involves a complex series of protective and reparative responses to tissue injury caused by either mechanical and autoimmune stimuli or infection. Inflammation can be either acute or chronic. In the acute phase, in the early stages of inflammation, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells contribute to cytokine production that spreads the inflammatory events. Although inflammation has a protective role, many diseases have the etiological origin in inflammatory processes such as atherosclerosis, arthritis, cancer, and ischemic heart disease. There are many pathways involving the synthesis and secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators. In this chapter we analyze different intracellular signaling routes related to inflammation. There are two principal types of anti-inflammatory drugs, namely, steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which reduce inflammation by binding to cortisol receptors and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which decrease damage by inhibition of cyclooxygenase enzymes. These anti-inflammatory drugs entail many risks, in particular, gastrointestinal ulceration, bleeding, and hepatotoxicity. Over the last decades, the potential of sesquiterpene lactones as anti-inflammatory agents has been pointed out by different authors.

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Abbreviations

AP-1:

activator protein-1

ARE:

antioxidant response element

C:

complement component

Chemokine R:

chemokine receptors

COX-2:

ciclooxigenase 2

CR:

complement receptor

CysLTs:

cysteinyl leukotrienes

Cytokine R:

cytokine receptors

DAMPs:

damage-associated molecular patterns

ERK:

extracellular signal-regulated kinase

HO-1:

heme oxygenase 1

IFN-γ:

interferon-γ

IKK:

IκB kinase

IL:

interleukins

IL-1ra:

IL-1 receptor antagonist

IL-1RAcP:

IL-1 receptor accessory protein

IL-1RI:

IL-1 type 1 receptor

IL-1RII:

IL-1 type 2 receptor

iNOS:

inducible type-2 isoform of nitric oxide synthase NOS-2

JAKs:

Janus kinases

JNK:

c-Jun N-terminal kinase

LPS:

lipopolysaccharide

LTs:

leukotrienes

MAPKs:

mitogen-activated protein kinases

MCP-1:

monocyte chemoattractant protein 1

MSU:

monosodium urate

NF-κB:

nuclear factor kappa B

NLRP3:

inflammasome complex Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3

NLRs:

Nucleotide-binding oligomerization-domain protein-like receptors

Nrf2:

factor (erythroid-derived 2)-related factor 2

NSAIDs:

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

PAMPs:

pathogen-associated molecular patterns

PGs:

prostaglandins

PLA2:

phospholipase A2

PMNs:

polymorphonuclear neutrophils

Purine R:

purine receptors

RLRs:

RIG-I-like (retinoic acid inducible gene 1) receptor family

RNS:

reactive nitrogen species

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

STATs:

signal transducers and activators of transcription

STLs:

sesquiterpene lactones

TGF:

tumor growth factor

Th:

helper T cells

TLRs:

Toll-like receptors

TNF-α:

tumor necrosis factor alpha

TXs:

thromboxanes

TyK2:

tyrosine kinase 2

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Departamento de Farmacología, Cátedra de Farmacología, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María Rosario Alonso

  2. CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Química y Metabolismo del Fármaco (IQUIMEFA), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María Rosario Alonso & Claudia A. Anesini

  3. Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Departamento de Farmacología, Cátedra de Farmacognosia, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Claudia A. Anesini

  4. Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología, Cátedra de Inmunología, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Renzo F. Martino

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  1. María Rosario Alonso
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  2. Claudia A. Anesini
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  3. Renzo F. Martino
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Correspondence to María Rosario Alonso .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Buenos Aires, CONICET University of Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Valeria Patricia Sülsen

  2. University of Buenos Aires, CONICET University of Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Virginia Susana Martino

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Alonso, M.R., Anesini, C.A., Martino, R.F. (2018). Anti-inflammatory Activity. In: Sülsen, V., Martino, V. (eds) Sesquiterpene Lactones. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78274-4_14

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