Free Radicals and Inflammation

Description

As in so many fields of scientific endeavour following the molecular biology revo­ lution, our knowledge of the role of radicals not only in pathological states, but in basic physiology has developed exponentially. Indeed, our evolving concepts have, like so many political parties, been forced into dramatic "V-turns" and contortions. Within our working lives, we have had to debate whether radicals made any con­ tribution to any pathology, whilst now it is difficult not to entertain the view that every physiological process is pivotally controlled by exquisitely sensitive radical reactions. Inflammation is, of course, an example of pathology evolving from physiology, and in this book we have called upon both scientists and clinicians who have research interests in the complex switching mechanisms that sustain these transi­ tions. The book as a whole explores, from a physiological standpoint, how deter­ ministic radical systems sensitive to their initial conditions can interdigitate, iterate and feed back to control diverse cellular processes that create the inflammatory response. Whilst systems such as these to a mathematician would provide the basis for a chaotic response, one is forced to marvel how, for all stages of an inflammatory reaction, this system appears exquisitely controlled, making therapeutic manipula­ tion both possible and, to some extent, predictable. Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 1-9 Reactive oxygen/nitrogen species and acute inflammation: A physiological process....Pages 11-16 Free radicals and pathology: current concepts....Pages 17-19 The NADPH oxidase of neutrophils and other cells....Pages 21-46 Nitric oxide - a novel antimicrobial agent....Pages 47-63 Xanthine oxidoreductase....Pages 65-81 Inflammatory mediators, free radicals and gene transcription....Pages 83-98 Reactive metabolites of oxygen and nitrogen, adhesion molecule expression and chronic joint inflammation....Pages 99-117 Role of thioredoxin in the redox regulation of gene expression in inflammatory diseases....Pages 119-131 Reactive oxygen species and the regulation of metalloproteinase expression....Pages 133-153 Nitric oxide and inflammatory joint diseases....Pages 155-168 Nitric oxide and bone destruction....Pages 169-181 Why does chronic inflammation persist? A radical autoimmune perspective....Pages 183-194 Radicals, granuloma formation and fibrosis....Pages 195-206 Reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide and apoptosis....Pages 207-219 Evolving measurements of radical products — how much do they tell us about inflammation?....Pages 221-239 Do antioxidants have a role in the therapy of human inflammatory diseases?....Pages 241-252 Back Matter....Pages 253-259