ISBN-13: 9783764372484 / Angielski / Twarda / 2006 / 133 str.
Over the last decade, the advent of biologic agents has greatly revolutionized therapeutic medicine in the management of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn s disease, and psoriasis. Elucidation of the complex web of cytokine network and the roles of these cytokines in the pat- genesis of inflammatory disorders provided one of the key catalysts for the advancement of targeted biologic therapy in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. TNF-? is known to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of many chronic inflammatory diseases. Elevated levels of TNF-? have been demonstrated in Crohn s disease, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, sugge- ing a role for TNF-? in their pathogenesis. Although TNF-? plays a critical role in the activation of innate and acquired immune responses, the persistence of the immune response and inappropriate production of TNF-? can produce pathological changes resulting from chronic inflammation and tissue damage. The purpose of this volume is to provide a comprehensive overview of the development, pharmacology, efficacy, and safety of the currently available TNF-? inhibitors etanercept, infliximab, and adalimumab. The initial three chapters of the volume provide a background on the field on TNF-? and its inhibition. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to TNF and reviews the pathophysiology of this cytokine. Chapter 2 then presents the h- tory of the development of TNF inhibitors. The pharmacology of these agents is reviewed in Chapter 3."