Peripheral macrophage chemotaxis through the receptor-ligand CCR2-CCL2 signaling axis is important in macrophage recruitment to the CNS. Recent studies have found an increase in the expression of the CCR2 ligand, CCL2 (also called monocyte chemoattractant protein 1; MCP1), in the brain after chronic alcohol consumption [8, 12, 13]. Cenicriviroc (CVC) is a small molecule inhibitor recently developed to block signaling through CCR2, as well as the chemokine receptor CCR5 that recognizes CCL5 and is involved in the recruitment of monocytes and T cells [14]. CVC is currently under investigation in a phase 3 trial to treat liver fibrosis in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NCT03028740), a disease that involves significant inflammation [15]. CVC has been shown previously to inhibit macrophage recruitment and activation in liver disease [16].
