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Pro-Inflammatory Mediators

Meaning

Pro-Inflammatory Mediators are a diverse group of signaling molecules, including specific cytokines, chemokines, and eicosanoids, that are rapidly released by immune cells, adipocytes, and other tissue cells to initiate and amplify the acute inflammatory response. These molecules function as essential molecular alarms, recruiting immune cells to a site of injury, infection, or stress and coordinating the necessary defensive and repair processes. Chronic, dysregulated overproduction of these mediators, such as Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α), is the underlying cause of low-grade systemic inflammation.