title: Role and pharmacogenomics of TNF-alpha in asthma.
abstract: Asthma is a chronic heterogeneous inflammatory disease of the respiratory system in which numerous cytokines play a significant role. Among them TNF-alpha (tumour necrosis factor alpha), a proinflammatory cytokine, has a predominant role in orchestrating airway inflammation and affecting treatment outcome. In this review we attempt to summarize the involvement of TNF-alpha in the pathogenesis of asthma, illustrate variations of TNF-alpha gene that potentially influence asthma phenotype and highlight promising therapies by blocking the production of TNF-alpha or inhibiting its action. A cytokine specific target therapy seems to be very promising since agents that block TNF-alpha slow disease progression, suppress inflammation and in some cases induce remission of chronic inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pneumonology, University Hospital of Patras, Rio, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimosthenis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lykouras
authors.forename: Fotis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sampsonas
authors.forename: Alexandros
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaparianos
authors.forename: Kiriakos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karkoulias
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spiropoulos
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000378:metabolism; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics*; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008954:Models, Biological; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D010597:Pharmacogenetics / Q000379:methods*; D010641:Phenotype; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D016207:Cytokines; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha