Tumour necrosis factor-α antagonists and their therapeutic applications

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a cytokine essential for regulation of normal cellular processes while its overproduction can be implicated in the pathology of many inflammatory disorders. Consequently, stemming the deleterious actions of TNF-alpha via any of several routes is an attractive and highly competitive area of research. Small molecule inhibitors have been developed either to inhibit the production of TNF-alpha by cAMP potentiation and blocking TNF-alpha gene expression (phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors) or to inhibit TNF-alpha processing (matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors). The development of monoclonal antibody technology is a rapidly expanding field. This has improved to such an extent that many clinical trials are underway and have shown promising results.