Fig. 3. Potential therapeutic implications of the NF-B-mediated blockade of TNF--induced JNK signaling. A positive-feedback loop between TNF- and NF-B drives chronic inflammatory states; several pharmacological agents can be used to treat these states. The effects of MKK7-mimicking peptides are also shown (Papa et al., 2004), which support the therapeutic feasibility of blocking the NF-B anti-apoptotic activity without significantly affecting the immune system.