MINIREVIEW Therapeutic targeting of molecules involved in leukocyte–endothelial cell interactions

One of the key characteristics of inflammation is the recruitment of leukocytes to the site of tissue injury. There are three major subsets of leukocytes with migratory capacity that are involved in inflammation: neutrophils, monocytes ⁄macrophages and lymphocytes. Quiescent endothelium acts as a barrier between the circulating white blood cells and the underlying sub-endothelial tissue. In response to inflammatory stimuli, endothelial cells undergo a phenotypic change and act-ively facilitate the recruitment and transmigration of leukocytes to the site of inflammation. The neutrophil is a short-lived phagocyte that plays an essential role in the defense against microorganisms, as witnessed by the life-threatening infections that occur in patients with neutropenia or in those with leu