Resolution pharmacology and the treatment of infectious diseases.
Abstract
Inflammation is a physiological response composed by well-defined and
overlapping events that can eliminate pathogens and reestablish
homeostasis of tissues. Physiological systems have an elastic capacity
to deal with numerous perturbations. Infection may lead to inflammation,
tissue damage and disease as consequence of breakdown of tissue
resilience. The resolutive phase is a sine qua non condition to achieve
homeostasis after acute inflammation. Exuberant or chronic inflammation
occurs in diverse infectious diseases. Pro-resolving molecules may be
useful for the treatment of certain infections, as these molecules
modulate the immune response and avoid the exacerbated/misplaced
inflammation unleashed by microbes. Some pro-resolving molecules may
also favour pathogen clearance, in addition to decreasing tissue damage.
In this review, we discuss the endogenous role and the therapeutic
potential of the most relevant pro-resolving molecules in the context of
bacterial and viral infections.