Tissue Repair student Jenny Cartwright reviews drugs to aid resolution of inflammation

Jenny Cartwright publishes review on cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors to target inflammation.

Third year Tissue Repair PhD student Jennifer Cartwright has published a review paper in Frontiers in Pharmacology about a class of drugs targeting the inflammatory resolution switch through inducing granulocyte apoptosis and phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells.

Jenny is untertaking her PhD research in the lab of Prof Adriano Rossi at the MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, where she investigates the role of neutrophils in liver injury and regeneration.

Cartwright et al. Inflammation Resolution and the Induction of Granulocyte Apoptosis by Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor Drugs. Front. Pharmacol 2019. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00055

Review article abstract:

Inflammation is a necessary dynamic tissue response to injury or infection and it’s resolution is essential to return tissue homeostasis and function. Defective or dysregulated inflammation resolution contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of many, often common and challenging to treat human conditions. The transition of inflammation to resolution is an active process, involving the clearance of inflammatory cells (granulocytes), a change of mediators and their receptors, and prevention of further inflammatory cell infiltration. This review focuses on the use of cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor drugs to pharmacologically target this inflammatory resolution switch, specifically through inducing granulocyte apoptosis and phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells (efferocytosis). The key processes and pathways required for granulocyte apoptosis, recruitment of phagocytes and mechanisms of engulfment are discussed along with the cumulating evidence for cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor drugs as pro-resolution therapeutics.