ABSTRACT
Inflammation is a nonspecific protective response of the innate immune system to harmful stimuli, such as microorganisms, burns, trauma, and chemical compounds. In response to tissue damage, the body activates various signaling cascades that allow the removal of the invading agent and tissue repair. The inflammation process is characterized by an acute phase and a chronic phase. In the acute phase, there is an increase in vascular permeability, leukocyte migration, and release of inflammatory mediators, and it is resolved when the foreign agent is removed. However, if the inflammation persists, it is called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been correlated with cardiovascular, intestinal diseases, diabetes, autoimmunity, and cancer. It is estimated that approximately 15% of human cancers are associated with chronic inflammation because inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines, chemokines, prostaglandins, can stimulate tumor growth and cell proliferation. In particular, various species of the Asteraceae family 332possess a wide range of secondary metabolites. For this reason, currently, the pharmaceutical industry in alliance with phytochemical research is looking for metabolites obtained from plants of the Asteraceae family that could have beneficial effects on human health, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor potential.
