05/09/2026
Cellular and Molecular Events of Inflammation👇
✅Inflammation is a coordinated biological response involving cytokines, endothelial cells, leukocytes, platelets, and molecular signaling pathways.
✅Pro-inflammatory cytokines activate NF-κB, a major transcription factor that regulates inflammatory gene expression. NF-κB activation increases the production of endothelin-1 (ET-1), thromboxane A2 (TXA2), reactive oxygen species (ROS), cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), and von Willebrand factor (vWF).
✅These molecular changes promote endothelial activation and vascular dysfunction, creating conditions that favor the recruitment of circulating immune cells to sites of inflammation.
✅Changes in blood flow and the increased expression of adhesion molecules allow leukocytes to interact with and adhere to the vascular endothelium, followed by their migration from the bloodstream into surrounding tissues.
✅Once recruited, monocytes can differentiate into M1 macrophages, which produce pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12, and IL-1β. These mediators further amplify the inflammatory response.
✅Inflammation can also promote platelet activation and aggregation. Increased TXA2 and vWF contribute to platelet adhesion and aggregation, linking inflammation with thrombotic processes.
✅Overall, inflammation involves a self-amplifying network in which cytokine signaling, NF-κB activation, endothelial dysfunction, leukocyte recruitment, macrophage activation, and platelet aggregation interact to sustain the inflammatory response.
💡 Alfaro, S.; Acuña, V.; Ceriani, R.; Cavieres, M.F.; Weinstein-Oppenheimer, C.R.; Campos-Estrada, C. Involvement of Inflammation and Its Resolution in Disease and Therapeutics. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 10719.
