Innate Immune Signaling and the Inflammation that Drives Cerebrovascular Disease

In the progression of degenerative aging, a process of constant, unresolved inflammatory signaling is one of the most important ways in which low-level molecular damage gives rise to widespread dysfunction of tissue and organs. In today's open access paper, researchers discuss what is known of the way in which the innate immune system reacts to molecular signs of aging, the damage-associated molecular patterns such as DNA debris from dysfunctional mitochondrial and stressed and dying cells. This reaction is amplified by the rest of the immune system into a constant, disruptive state of chronic inflammation that changes cell behavior for the worse and degrades tissue structure and function. Certain common mechanisms of signaling and regulation, such as the better studied forms of inflammasome, are interesting targets for those seeking to develop therapies to effectively suppress inflammation. The challenge in such efforts has always been to suppress inflammatory signaling in a way that only interferes in excessive inflammation, and not the necessary inflammation required for defense against pathogens, regeneration following injury, and so forth. Existing therapies, such as the biologics used to treat autoimmune conditions, tend to focus on inhibition of specific single signal molecules involved in the inflammatory process, and thus indiscriminately suppress inflammation. There is some hope that targeting inflammasomes will prove to be a better option. The NLRP3 I...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs