Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases and Cancer

Abstract

Neutrophils are innate immune system phagocytes that play a central role in immunity defense. They are equipped with effective antimicrobial that is mainly stored in specialized granules. Considering that, it can also damage host tissue. Neutrophil deployment is heavily regulated through various strategies, including phagocytosis, reactive oxygen species, production degranulation, and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NET). This review article will discuss its role in inflammatory, autoimmune diseases, and cancer and place it as a therapeutic target. It depicts that NET formation includes a suicide program morphologically different from other types of cell death, such as apoptosis and necrosis. Besides, NETs have unique DNA and antimicrobial peptide structures, and antimicrobial activity is among the functions of neutrophils as the first response to inflammation. So, it plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of various diseases, especially inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. As a result, it can be effective in the pathogenesis of many diseases, and its pathogenic role can be used as a therapeutic target.