Interfering with leukocyte rolling--a promising therapeutic approach in inflammatory skin disorders?

Many novel anti-inflammatory compounds have been derived from research tools designed to better understand the complex process of leukocyte extravasation at sites of inflammation. Given that selectin-mediated rolling is the crucial initial step of leukocyte localization to the skin, specific interference with this mechanism is a particularly attractive target to treat cutaneous inflammation. Recently, several exciting advances have been reported aimed at selective interference with specific target molecules crucially involved in leukocyte rolling.