title: Mechanism of production of toxic oxygen radicals by granulocytes and macrophages and their function in the inflammatory process.
abstract: The paper deals with 1) the features of the respiratory burst (increase of the respiration with production of O2 metabolites, O2-, H2O2, OH) of the inflammatory cells; 2) the factors responsible for its activation; 3) the methods for its measurement; 4) the molecular events which take place at the level of the plasma membrane following the interaction between the stimuli and the cell surface (the Ca++ changes, the modification of membrane potential, the activation of phospholipid turnover) and the hypothesis of the activation of the protein kinase C; 5) the nature of the NADPH oxidase whose activation is responsible for the respiratory burst and the production of O2 metabolites; 6) the defensive, toxic, proinflammatory and modulatory effects due to the reactivity of the oxygen metabolites.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005609:Free Radicals; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology*; D009247:NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D019255:NADPH Oxidases; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000502:physiology; D010587:Phagocytosis
chemical_list: D005609:Free Radicals; D009247:NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases; D019255:NADPH Oxidases; D010100:Oxygen