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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Natural Products as Modulators of Apoptosis and their Role in Inflammation

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ABSTRACT: Modifications in apoptosis, a programmed form of cell death that participates in a wide variety of physiological processes, can contribute to many diseases, principally those associated with cell accumulation, such as inflammation. One hallmark of inflammation is the infiltration of leukocytes, which are programmed to undergo apoptosis at inflamed tissues. Resolution of inflammation thus involves the elimination of excess inflammatory cells by physiological cell death and the subsequent removal of apoptotic cells by phagocytes. Controlling this process may therefore be useful in the treatment of pathologies, which include an inflammatory component. Interestingly, while in some cases apoptosis is the mechanism that actually produces the resolution of inflammation, in other pathologies it is the cause of inflammation rather than its solution. This is the case of eczematous dermatitis. Depending on the type of inflammatory disease, then, possible treatment may include either augmenting or blocking the apoptotic process. Different anti-inflammatory agents, e.g. teophylline or the glucocorticoid family of compounds, have already been shown to modify cell apoptosis. In this chapter, we review the possible new anti-inflammatory agents isolated from plants with proapoptotic or antiapoptotic properties, with special emphasis on alkaloids and phenolics as the most relevant phytochemical groups in the resolution of inflammation to date.