ACUTE, CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES AND OXIDATIVE STRESS:TARGETING RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS, COPD AND VIRAL-INDUCED EXACERBATIONS OF COPD

Introduction : Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are a family of highly reactive molecules that are produced by a variety of cell types in the lung in response to chemical and physical agents in the environment. It is well known that ROS are critical in host defence as they kill invading pathogens, but that their excessive accumulation in the lung results in oxidative damage. Oxidative stress, which is defined as the persistent overproduction of ROS that overwhelms endogenous antioxidant defence systems, has been implicated in both acute (e.g respiratory virus infections) and chronic (e.g. COPD) lung diseases. Therefore, targeting oxidative stress may be a novel way to treat these lung diseases. Results : We have shown that targeting oxidative stress with the Nox2 oxidase inhibitors and ROS scavengers, apocynin and ebselen could ameliorate influenza A virus (IAV)-induced lung inflammation and pathology, cigarette smoke-induced lung inflammation, acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) and skeletal muscle wasting in mice. Conclusion : Targeting oxidative stress may be a novel strategy to treat both acute and chronic lung diseases.