Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely prescribed as anti-inflammatory drugs due to their well-established immunosuppressive effects. However, their utilization is severely limited by the occurrence of... Show moreGlucocorticoids (GCs) are widely prescribed as anti-inflammatory drugs due to their well-established immunosuppressive effects. However, their utilization is severely limited by the occurrence of side effects and drug resistance. Therefore, there is still a major need to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the effects of GCs. Zebrafish are increasingly used as an in vivo model system for studying the immune system, in particular the inflammatory response. In Chapter 2, an overview is provided of the available inflammation models in zebrafish, and how they are used to unravel molecular mechanisms underlying the inflammatory response and for testing of potential novel anti-inflammatory drugs, in particular GCs. In this thesis, we have used zebrafish model system to study molecular and cellular mechanisms of GC action on the immune system and to develop a model for in vivo screening of the anti-inflammatory effects as well as possible adverse effects of novel GC therapies. For this purpose, we have studied the effect of GCs on leukocyte migration and differentiation during an inflammatory response (Chapter 3), how GCs modulate the immune response to a mycobacterial infection (Chapter 4), and we have investigated targeting of GCs to inflamed tissue by liposomal delivery (Chapter 5). Show less
