Role of tumor necrosis factor alpha in asthma.
Asthma is a heterogeneous disease in which various cytokines orchestrate airway inflammation. Tumor necrosis alpha (TNF-alpha) is a proinflammatory cytokine that has been implicated in the modulation of inflammation in various diseases, including asthma. Although TNF-alpha blocking strategies have been an effective therapeutic modality in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, their role in asthma and the effects of the blockade in asthma is poorly understood. This article examines the role of TNF-alpha in asthma and the effects of blocking TNF-alpha as a possible therapeutic option in patients with severe corticosteroid-dependent asthma.
Babu
K Suresh
KS
Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology Infection, Inflammation and Repair, Southampton General Hospital, Level D, Centre Block, Mailpoint 810, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK. ksb@soton.ac.uk
Davies
Donna E
DE
Holgate
Stephen T
ST
D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D047889:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*
D047889:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha