[Leukocyte influx into tissues is one of the hallmarks of physiological reactions to inflammatory stimuli, which is followed by a multistep process, resulting in leukocyte extravasation from the postcapillary venules. The different kinds of adhesion molecules, that play role in the rolling and firm adhesion of the leukocytes, have been investigated very intensively. By the help of animal models of inflammation, numerous individuals, being in the same stage of the disease, can be examined. The requirement for the adhesion molecules for inflammatory responses could be investigated with antibodies or, nowadays more often, gene knock out (KO) or transgenic mice. Beside evaluating the morphological and cytokine profile differences, using intravital microscopy is of great importance in the inflammatory experiments, while it allows observing interactions of virtually any blood cell types with the endothelial wall in vivo. The results are sometimes conflicting, indicating that the process of leukocyte-endothel interactions depends on different kind of other factors than the adhesion molecules, and still not fully understood.]
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