Pro-inflammatory cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory
diseases, and the excessive expression of many of them is normally counteracted by
glucocorticoids (GCs), which are steroids that bind to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR).
Hence, GCs are potent inhibitors of inflammation, and they are widely used to treat
inflammatory diseases, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel
disease. However, despite the success of GC therapy, many patients show some degree of …