Chemokine receptor CXCR2: physiology regulator and neuroinflammation controller?

ABSTRACT

The innate immune system is a crucial component of inflammatory reactions, while the central nervous system (CNS) is the most vulnerable site of the body to inflammatory tissue injury. Neuroinflammatory brain pathologies are disorders in which the CNS is threatened by its own immune system. Chemokine receptor CXCR2 and its ligands have been implicated in several neuroinflammatory brain pathologies, as well as in neutrophil recruitment and in the developmental positioning of neural cells. This review focuses on the basics of CXCR2, its regulating role in bone marrow neutrophil recruitment, oligodendrocyte progenitor cell positioning and neural repair mechanisms, as well as its diverse roles in neuroinflammatory brain pathologies.