E-NTPase/NTPDase: potential role as a regulatory element in inflammation.

Inflammation is a process culminated by cellular components and soluble mediators act in concert to evolve a sustainable process to impart distress in vascularized tissue. Among the contributors, extracellular nucleotides are prominent in PMN granule release (degranulation); chemotaxis, enhanced expression of adhesion molecule on the surface of PMN. However, co-stimulatory effectors such as chemokines are required for the extracellular nucleotide-induced maximal effect in inflammation. Enzymes, which degrade the extracellular nucleotide(s), could potentially attenuate or minimize the extracellular nucleotide(s) induced effect by degradation.