ABSTRACT
This chapter examines anti-inflammatory therapies for respiratory diseases with a component of acute or chronic lung injury. As detailed in earlier
chapters, a variety of mediators, factors, and pathophysiological pathways
are important in innate pulmonary host defense and inflammatory lung
injury. Basic science understanding has elucidated multiple inflammation-
related molecular processes that might be targeted in treating patients with
pulmonary disease. Since the number of potential anti-inflammatory thera-
pies and strategies is large, discussion in this chapter emphasizes five areas
of lung disease and associated therapeutics-pulmonary infection (pneumonia), asthma, bronchitis, COPD, and fibrosing lung diseases. The utility
of traditional anti-inflammatory medications such as corticosteroids, non-
steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and immunosuppressants in treating
these various conditions is described. However, primary importance is
placed on newer treatments or therapeutic strategies that disrupt
immune-immune and immune-structural cell activation, target-specific
proinflammatory mediators, or modulate the effector functions of resident
lung cells. These newer approaches to the therapy of inflammatory lung
injury and disease all derive from basic science understanding and perspec-
tives elucidated in earlier chapters. The specificity and scope of possible
anti-inflammatory interventions for pulmonary disease and injury can be
expected to become further refined and focused as basic mechanistic under-
standing improves in the future.
