Title:P2X Receptors and Inflammation
Volume: 22
Issue: 7
Author(s): Francesco Di Virgilio
Affiliation:
Keywords:
extracellular ATP, innate immunity, P2X4, P2X7, purinergic receptors.
Abstract: Until recently, P2X receptors have not received much attention in the context of immunology and
inflammation. While this is justified to a certain extent for P2X1, P2X2, P2X3, P2X5 and P2X6, which still
await identification of a convincing role in the pathophysiology of immune cells, it is clearly not any more the
case for P2X4 and even more so for P2X7, a molecule that has achieved the status of an essential, nonredundant,
immunomodulatory receptor. In this review I will highlight the most important inflammatory responses
participated by P2X receptors.