The inflammatory and immune mechanisms following cerebral ischemia / 中国药理学通报

ABSTRACT

Hypoxia-ischemia induces an inflammatory and immune response in the nervous system that may be important for development of brain injury. Recent data implicate that cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules，are involved in the recruitment of inflammatory-immune cells. A cytokines which promote emigration of leukocytes from the vascular lumen into the injured brain tissue are produced at the site of incipient cerebral infarction. The expression of mRNA for alpha- and beta-chemokines preceded the appearance of immune cells suggesting that these molecules may have a role in the inflammatory response to insults. The humoral and cell-medated immunity under the conditions of focal brain ischemia was discussed. These results together indicate that cell-cell interaction by adhesion molecules and cytokines is an important component in the pathogenesis of ischemic cerebral diseases, especially at the acute phase.Recently accumulated data show that depleting the amount of circulating leukocytes or administering anti-inflammatory chemicals such as cytokine blocking agents, anti-adhesion molecule antibodies, and immunosuppressants effectively minimize the size of ischemia induced cerebral infarction.