Part I. Mechanisms of Action and Novel Macrolides -- Macrolides and Diseases Associated with Loss of Epithelial Barrier Integrity -- Macrolides and Inflammatory Cells, Signaling, and Mediators -- Part II. Clinical Use for Airway Disease -- Macrolides as Immunomodulatory Agents -- Macrolides and Cystic Fibrosis -- Non-CF Bronchiectasis -- Macrolide Use in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease -- Macrolides and Asthma Therapy -- Macrolides and Interstitial Lung Diseases -- Macrolides in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Acute Lung Injury -- Azithromycin for Other Lung Diseases: Lung Transplantation and Sarcoidosis -- Macrolides for Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps -- Part III. Clinical Use for Other Diseases -- Macrolides for Cancer -- Macrolides in Chronic Skin Disorders -- Macrolide Use in Preschool Aged Children with Acute or Recurrent Respiratory Tract Illnesses with Wheezing -- Macrolides and Immunomodulation: Today and the Future.

For over 50 years, clinicians have known that macrolide antibiotics have effects on inflammation and the immune system that are not related to their antimicrobial properties. These immunomodulatory properties, best described for treating inflammatory airway diseases, protect the lung and the host and improve clinical status. This book summarizes our current knowledge regarding proposed mechanisms for these properties, established clinical results, and what the future may hold with emphasis on novel clinical applications and the fascinating development of non-antimicrobial macrolides with preserved and enhanced immunomodulatory properties.