Resolution of inflammation: a new therapeutic frontier

Anti-inflammatory treatments reduce inflammation but do not necessarily encourage resolution. Here, Fullerton and Gilroy suggest that some chronic inflammatory disorders may be characterized by an inability to resolve inflammation, and discuss the biology of resolution and translational efforts to target it. Dysregulated inflammation is a central pathological process in diverse disease states. Traditionally, therapeutic approaches have sought to modulate the pro- or anti-inflammatory limbs of inflammation, with mixed success. However, insight into the pathways by which inflammation is resolved has highlighted novel opportunities to pharmacologically manipulate these processes — a strategy that might represent a complementary (and perhaps even superior) therapeutic approach. This Review discusses the state of the art in the biology of resolution of inflammation, highlighting the opportunities and challenges for translational research in this field.