Alarmins in chronic noncommunicable diseases: Atherosclerosis, diabetes and cancer.

There is a wide range of pathological conditions proved to be associated with inflammation. The inflammatory process offers protection against harmful stimuli such as induced cell injury and tissues damage by means of specialized mediators and cells. Alarmins, also known as endogenous danger signals or damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) molecules, are critical players of immune response to tissue suffering. In many inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, alarmins are released into the extracellular milieu and bind to specific receptors to stimulate and promote activation of innate immune cells, cell differentiation, cell death or secretion of inflammatory mediators. This paper, based on biochemical and mass spectrometry proteomic data, highlights the role of heat shock proteins (HSPs), high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein and S100 proteins as main alarmins involved in the maintaining and amplifying inflammation in atherosclerosis, diabetes and cancer. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This paper, based on biochemical and mass spectrometry proteomic data, highlights the role of the heat shock proteins (HSPs), high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein and S100 proteins as main alarmins involved in maintaining and amplifying atherosclerosis, diabetes and cancer inflammation.