MAPKs and their relevance to arthritis and inflammation

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which imbalances in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines promote the induction of autoimmunity, inflammation and joint destruction. The importance of inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of RA has been underscored by the success of biologics that act to block the effects of cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1 or IL-6, in treating disease. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) have been implicated as playing key regulatory roles in the production of these pro-inflammatory cytokines and downstream signalling events leading to joint inflammation and destruction. This article reviews the evidence that MAPKs play important roles in the pathogenesis of RA and discusses their therapeutic potential as drug targets.