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.
Keywords: Inflammation, resolution pharmacology, pathogen-host
interactions, infection, virus, bacteria.