Most chronic diseases, caused by lifestyle factors, appear to be linked to inflammation. Inflammation is activated mechanistically, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is a significant mediator. NF-κB, one of the most studied transcription factors, was first identified in the nucleus of B lymphocytes almost three decades ago. This protein has a key function in regulating the human immune system, and its dysregulation has been linked to many chronic diseases including asthma, cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation, and neurological disorders. Physiologically, many cytokines have been discovered that activate NF-κB. Pathologically, environmental carcinogens such as cigarette smoke, radiation, bacteria, and viruses can also activate this transcription factor. NF-κB activation controls expression of more than 500 genes, and most are deleterious to the human body when dysregulated. More than 70,000 articles have been published regarding NF-κB. This review emphasizes the upside and downside of NF-κB in normal and disease conditions and the ways in which we can control this critical transcription factor in patients.

中文翻译：

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炎症，NF-κB和慢性疾病：它们如何联系？

由生活方式因素引起的大多数慢性疾病似乎与炎症有关。炎症是通过机械方式激活的，核因子-κB（NF-κB）是重要的介质。NF-κB是研究最多的转录因子之一，大约在三十年前首次在B淋巴细胞核中被发现。该蛋白在调节人类免疫系统中具有关键功能，其失调与许多慢性疾病有关，包括哮喘，癌症，糖尿病，类风湿关节炎，炎症和神经系统疾病。在生理上，已发现许多激活NF-κB的细胞因子。在病理上，环境致癌物，例如香烟烟雾，辐射，细菌和病毒也可以激活该转录因子。NF-κB激活控制着500多个基因的表达，当失调时，大多数对人体有害。关于NF-κB，已经发表了超过70,000篇文章。这篇综述强调了正常和疾病条件下NF-κB的上升和下降以及我们如何控制患者中这一关键转录因子的方式。