Background
The serpin Antithrombin III (AT) is reported to have anticoagulatory as well as anti-inflammatory properties. AT inhibits cytokine secretion, leukocyte activation and neutrophil migration and it has been shown to be efficacious in treatment of septic disorders.
The molecular mechanism underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of AT III is still unclear. We investigated the influence of AT on NFκB- and MAPK-signaling, both well known proinflammatory signaling pathways in endothelial cells (EC) and monocytes (MO).