Anti-inflammatory Activity

Abstract

Abstract It is known that inflammation involves a complex series of protective andreparative responses to tissue injury caused by either mechanical and autoimmunestimuli or infection. Inflammation can be either acute or chronic. In the acute phase,in the early stages of inflammation, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cellscontribute to cytokine production that spreads the inflammatory events. Althoughinflammation has a protective role, many diseases have the etiological origin ininflammatory processes such as atherosclerosis, arthritis, cancer, and ischemic heartdisease. There are many pathways involving the synthesis and secretion of pro-inflammatorymediators. In this chapter we analyze different intracellular signalingroutes related to inflammation. There are two principal types of anti-inflammatorydrugs, namely, steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which reduce inflammation bybinding to cortisol receptors and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, whichdecrease damage by inhibition of cyclooxygenase enzymes. These anti-inflammatorydrugs entail many risks, in particular, gastrointestinal ulceration, bleeding, and hepatotoxicity.Over the last decades, the potential of sesquiterpene lactones as anti-inflammatoryagents has been pointed out by different authors.