Otterbein L E, Choi A M
Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2000 Dec;279(6):L1029-37. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.2000.279.6.L1029.
The discovery of the gaseous molecule nitric oxide in 1987 unraveled investigations on its functional role in the pathogenesis of a wide spectrum of biological and pathological processes. At that time, the novel concept that an endogenous production of a gaseous substance such as nitric oxide can impart such diverse and potent cellular effects proved to be very fruitful in enhancing our understanding of many disease processes including lung disorders. Interestingly, we have known for a longer period of time that there exists another gaseous molecule that is also generated endogenously; the heme oxygenase (HO) enzyme system generates the majority if not all of the endogenously produced carbon monoxide. This enzyme system also liberates two other by-products, bilirubin and ferritin, each possessing important biological functions and helping to define the uniqueness of the HO enzyme system. In recent years, interest in HO has emerged in numerous disciplines including the central nervous system, cardiovascular physiology, renal and hepatic systems, and transplantation. We review the functional role of HO in lung biology and its real potential application to lung diseases.
1987年气态分子一氧化氮的发现开启了对其在广泛生物和病理过程发病机制中功能作用的研究。当时，诸如一氧化氮之类的气态物质内源性产生可产生如此多样且强大的细胞效应这一新颖概念，在增进我们对包括肺部疾病在内的许多疾病过程的理解方面被证明卓有成效。有趣的是，我们早就知道存在另一种也由内源性产生的气态分子；血红素加氧酶（HO）酶系统产生了大部分（如果不是全部）内源性生成的一氧化碳。该酶系统还释放出另外两种副产品，胆红素和铁蛋白，它们各自具有重要的生物学功能，并有助于界定HO酶系统的独特性。近年来，包括中枢神经系统、心血管生理学、肾和肝系统以及移植在内的众多学科都对HO产生了兴趣。我们综述了HO在肺生物学中的功能作用及其在肺部疾病中的实际潜在应用。
