Figure 2

Possible outcomes of an inflammatory response. Tissue damage (inflammation initiation) can lead to cell death by apoptosis or necrosis. The balance between these two types of cell death can determine the outcome of the inflammatory response e.g. propagation (leading to chronic inflammation) or resolution. Resolution is more common when cell death is predominantly apoptotic, however, the phagocytosis of apoptotic or necrotic cells is also an important determinant of the outcome of inflammation. As can be seen, the P2X₇R may be critical to determining the outcome of an inflammatory response.