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Nature Medicine 7, 537 - 538 (2001)
doi:10.1038/87859
VIP: A very important protein in arthritis
Gary S. Firestein1
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology UCSD School of Medicine La Jolla, California, USA
e-mail: gfirestein@ucsd.edu
Abstract
Many studies have shown that immune system modulation can be used to treat various forms of arthritis. A vasoactive intestinal peptide has recently been shown to have potent anti-inflammatory effects, indicating a new therapeutic approach for inflammatory arthritis (pages 563–568).
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory arthritis, affecting about 1% of adults1. The disease is usually marked by synovial inflammation and hyperplasia in the small joints of the hands and feet, although larger joints are frequently affected.
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