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REVIEW ARTICLE

Spatiotemporal regulation of chemokine gradients in infection, inflammation, and cancer

Nehal Singh1* ,  Purvasha Narang2*
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1 Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
2 Department of Anatomy and Ophthalmology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
MI, 026170039 https://doi.org/10.36922/MI026170039
Received: 20 April 2026 | Revised: 10 May 2026 | Accepted: 14 May 2026 | Published online: 5 June 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Chemokines direct cell movement by establishing concentration gradients that provide spatial and directional cues for migration. The formation of these gradients is essential for guiding immune cells to precise sites of action, while their persistence over time ensures sustained cellular flux and effective responses. Such chemotactic behavior is central to host defense during infection and to the organization of immune activity within tumors, whereas timely degradation and resolution of gradients are necessary to prevent pathological inflammation. This review examines the fundamental mechanisms governing chemokine gradient formation and persistence under normal physiological conditions, including chemokine production, transport, matrix interactions, and regulated degradation. It further discusses how these processes are altered in infectious diseases, chronic inflammatory disorders, and cancer, where dysregulated gradients contribute to pathology or immune evasion. Finally, the review highlights emerging engineering strategies that position chemokines as programmable tools—leveraging synthetic chemokines, chemokine mimetics, and nanoparticle-based delivery systems—to precisely reprogram cell trafficking and ameliorate disease.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Chemokine gradients
Immune cell migration
Chemokine transport
Chemokine engineering
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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