Figure 2.

Cellular sources and main functions of the long pentraxin PTX3. The protein is induced by primary proinflammatory stimuli, TLR engagement, microbe recognition and ischemia by myeloid and stromal cells. PTX3 is a multifunctional protein playing a role in the orchestration of tissue repair through the regulation of fibrin deposition, and it regulates inflammation, modulating complement activity and limiting neutrophils infiltration in inflamed tissues. Finally, PTX3 is a molecule of the innate immunity and exerts protective roles against selected pathogens acting as and opsonin. The functional role of PTX3 in the main discussed pathology is highlighted by asterisks. However, for some of them, PTX3 has been explored only as a biomarker and there is little evidence of its functional involvement.