ABSTRACT
Inammation is the body’s primary response to infection or injury and aims not only to eliminate the causative agent, but also to restore tissue structure and function [1]. Dysregulated inammatory response leads to non-resolving chronic wounds that represent a major and increasing socioeconomic threat affecting more than 6.5 million people in the United States, costing in excess of $25 billion annually [2, 3]. The onset of inammation is marked by the release of an array of mediators including cytokines, chemokines, lipid mediators, and bioactive amines that are secreted by resident tissue cells-primarily macrophages, dendritic cells, and mast cells [4]. Inammation is essentially a beneœcial response that normally resolves with the restoration of normal tissue homeostasis. However, when inammation persists (chronic inammation), it can cause tissue damage and loss of function [1]. The problem with inammation is not how often it starts, but how often it fails to resolve. Non-resolving inammation contributes signiœcantly to the pathogenesis of a wide array of disorders, including atherosclerosis, obesity, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, inammatory bowel disease, neurodegenerative disease, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis [5]. Chronic wounds fail to progress through the normal phases of healing and enter a state of persistent non-resolving inammation [6].
