The CCR2 receptor as a therapeutic target

The strict control of cell recruitment during the physiological inflammatory response fails in autoimmune inflammatory diseases. The chemokine system is a complex and redundant network of small soluble proteins and G-protein-coupled cell surface receptors that participate in the inflammatory response, mainly attracting cells to the inflammatory foci. Data inferred from animal models suggest that the chemokine system might be involved in the physiopathology of several human disorders. CCR2, a chemokine receptor widely expressed in haematopoietic and non-haematopoieic cells, has been functionally implicated in experimental models of rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and atherosclerosis amongst others, which has prompted several pharmaceutical companies to develop and patent a number of compounds with anti-CCR2 activity. This review will consider disorders where CCR2 signalling has shown a relevant function in animal models for which correlative data exist in humans, as well as patents of synthetic and biological products with anti-CCR2 activity potentially useful in human pathology.