Free Radicals and Related Reactive Species in Pulmonary Diseases

Abstract

Pulmonary diseases are common clinical entities encountered by physicians and represent a major issue of public health worldwide. Understanding of the detailed pathophysiological mechanisms of pulmonary disorders is of critical importance for developing more effective therapeutic approaches to combating these diseases. This chapter discusses experimental and clinical studies showing oxidative stress as a crucial pathophysiological factor in diverse pulmonary diseases. These include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, cystic fibrosis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary ischemia-reperfusion injury, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and drug/xenobiotic-induced pulmonary toxicity. The development of antioxidant-based modalities for the intervention of these pulmonary diseases is also covered in this chapter.

Keywords: Acute respiratory distress syndrome, Antioxidant intervention, Asthma, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Cystic fibrosis, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Oxidative stress, Pulmonary diseases, Pulmonary ischemia-reperfusion injury, Pulmonary toxicity, Reactive nitrogen species, Reactive oxygen species.