Because inflammation is involved in many chronic human diseases, its proper understanding may provide important clues to new therapeutic targets. In Inflammation Protocols, highly skilled experimenters present key techniques for the multidisciplinary study of inflammation in such conditions as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, renal disease, and cardiovascular disease. Described in step-by-step detail to ensure experimental success, the techniques are focused on the research and development of potential new antiinflammatory drugs in active target areas. The protocols are suitable for many current areas of drug discovery research, including transcription factors, cytokines, adhesion molecules, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, free radicals, nitric oxide synthases, complement activation, angiogenesis, wound healing, immune rejection, and metalloproteinases. The methods provide in vitro systems for studying inflammation, in vivo models, and relevant pharmacodynamic measurements for the assessment of antiinflammatory compounds. Each protocol contains notes about potential pitfalls and tips on how to avoid failure. Overview chapters at the start of each section review the significance and potential limitations of the protocols presented. Cutting-edge and highly practical, Inflammation Protocols offers experimental and clinical researchers a premier collection of readily reproducible techniques not only for evaluating inflammatory disease processes, but also for the discovery of new drugs for treating chronic human inflammatory diseases today.