Proinflammation: a common denominator or initiator of different pathophysiological disease processes

Proinflammation is a widespread phenomenon. It has an association with the stress (patho)physiology and is connected with various diseases. Recently, it has been discussed if proinflammation may represent a common (pre)condition in different disease states. Evidence for a common proinflammatory pattern in a variety of diseases is analyzed. Proinflammatory (pre)conditions and immune response patterns serve as a common modality in a number of clinically separate diseases. Here, nitric oxide pathways often play a significant role as well. On molecular basis, proinflammation potentially illustrates a common denominator and/or an initiator. Like stress, proinflammation seems to be a crucial autoregulatory concept. It normally serves a positive biological goal: Proinflammatory activities, e.g., are initiated to overcome infection or invasion of potentially deleterious biological agents (bacteria, viruses, parasites etc.). While fighting invasion, proinflammation usually shortens biological 'battles' and therefore ameliorates disease-related detrimental or subjectively unpleasing phenomena. However, proinflammation has beneficial and deteriorating capacities and may yet exert detrimental effects. This is especially true, when the fine balance between the different immune response pathways, between anti- and proinflammatory mechanisms, can not be kept. This may occur when a challenge becomes overwhelming or when patterns of a chronic (patho)physiological activity are presented. Thus, proinflammation may represent a relatively unspecific, overlapping/ analogous state, underlying various clinical disease manifestations.