Pleural Models of Inflammation: Immune and Nonimmune

The inflammatory response is complex. It involves selective and temporal migration of specific cell types to the affected site, fluid exudation, and usually (given time) some form of resolution. These events are orchestrated by a plethora of mediators that act sequentially to give rise to the ever-changing pattern of pathology. Many of these mediators are now identified and we are beginning to understand at a molecular level the intracellular signal transduction pathways activated when cells are exposed to these mediators.