Brain cytokines and chemokines: roles in ischemic injury and pain.
Cytokines and chemokines were originally identified as essential mediators for inflammatory and immune responses. Enhanced production and release of cytokines/chemokines are observed also in the central nervous system (CNS) under diverse pathological conditions. There is growing evidence showing that brain cytokines/chemokines play crucial roles in the neuro-glio-vascular interaction underlying the pathology of various brain disorders and therefore are potential targets for development of novel and effective therapeutics for CNS diseases. Here the evidence of the involvement of cytokines/chemokines in ischemic brain injury and pain is reviewed.
Minami
Masabumi
M
Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapparo, Japan. mminami@pharm.hokudai.ac.jp
Katayama
Takahiro
T
Satoh
Masamichi
M