The acute phase response

Inflammation comprises a series of cellular phagocytosis and either the killing of microorganisms or the digestion of cell debris. This is followed by proliferation of connective tissue cells and repair of the intercellular matrix. Both of these events require the complex control of various cell types at a local level. There is increasing evidence that, while many molecules may mediate effects such as vascular permeability and chemotaxis, cytokines exert control in a very sophisticated way with remarkable duplication of key elements and complex negative and positive interaction with each other and other hormones.