title: NOX enzymes: potential target for the treatment of acute lung injury.
abstract: Acute lung injury (ALI) and its more severe form, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), is characterized by acute inflammation, disruption of the alveolar-capillary barrier, and in the organizing stage  by alveolar pneumocytes hyperplasia and extensive lung fibrosis. The cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to the development of ALI/ARDS are not completely understood, but there is evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by inflammatory cells as well as epithelial and endothelial cells are responsible for inflammatory response, lung damage, and abnormal repair. Among all ROS-producing enzymes, the members of NADPH oxidases (NOXs), which are widely expressed in different lung cell types, have been shown to participate in cellular processes involved in the maintenance of lung integrity. It is not surprising that change in NOXs' expression and function is involved in the development of ALI/ARDS. In this context, the use of NOX inhibitors could be a possible therapeutic perspective in the management of this syndrome. In this article, we summarize the current knowledge concerning some cellular aspects of NOXs localization and function in the lungs, consider their contribution in the development of ALI/ARDS and discuss the place of NOX inhibitors as potential therapeutical target.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics/Pathology and Immunology, Centre Médical Universitaire, Geneva, Switzerland. stephanie.carnesecchi@unige.ch
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carnesecchi
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Pache
authors.forename: Constance
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barazzone-Argiroffo
mesh_terms: D055371:Acute Lung Injury / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D019255:NADPH Oxidases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D019255:NADPH Oxidases