Tumour necrosis factor-α antagonists and their therapeutic applications

Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) 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-α 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-α by cAMP potentiation and blocking TNF-α gene expression (phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors) or to inhibit TNF-α 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.