Printed in UK- all rights reserved Copyright ERS Journals Ltd 1997 European Respiratory Journal

Chemokines are important cytokines in the pathogenesis of interstitial lung disease M.P. Keane, T.J. Standiford, R.M. Strieter Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is characterized by al-veolar and interstitial inflammation, followed by the progressive derangement of alveolar architecture and deposition of extracellular matrix components. The dis-ease is initiated by an unknown alveolar insult, which is followed by the influx of inflammatory cells to the lung. This recruitment phase results in a several fold increase in all cell types within the airspace, including neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes and macropha-ges. In addition, substantial interstitial inflammation is apparent, consisting predominantly of newly recruited monocytes and lymphocytes. Alveolar and interstitia