acute phase proteins

acute phase proteins

A large number of proteins released into the blood by the liver during infections and which exert a wide range of effects on the inflammatory process, on the function of immune cells and on tissue repair. Acute phase proteins appear in the bloodstream in the early stages of an inflammation or tissue injury as a result of the production of CYTOKINES such as INTERLEUKIN-1 and INTERLEUKIN-6. They include C-REACTIVE PROTEIN, mannose-binding protein, serum amyloid P, fibrinogen, ceruloplasmin, alpha1 antitrypsin, ANGIOTENSIN, haptoglobin and fibronectin.