Neuroimmunomodulation and immune privilege: the role of neuropeptides in ocular immunosuppression.
Regional immunoregulatory mechanisms insure that the most effective immune defense mounted is in proportion with preserving unique tissue functionalities. Immune-privileged tissues, such as the eye, are tissue sites of extreme regional immunoregulation. They have evolutionarily adapted several mechanisms to prevent the induction of inflammation within their tissue microenvironment. With over half a century of experimental examinations of ocular immune privilege, only recently have we come to understand that neuropeptides constitutively present in ocular tissues are part of the mechanisms of immune privilege.
Taylor
Andrew W
AW
Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachussetts 02114, USA. awtaylor@vision.eri.harvard.edu
D000818:Animals; D005123:Eye / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000276:immunology; D015213:Neuroimmunomodulation / Q000276:immunology*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D009479:Neuropeptides