Guilemany Josep M, Roca-Ferrer Jordi, Mullol Joaquim
Rhinology Unit and Smell Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Clínic i Universitari c/Villarroel, 170, Barcelona 08036, Catalunya, Spain.
Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2008 May;8(3):219-26. doi: 10.1007/s11882-008-0037-3.
Cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes catalyze the rate-limiting steps in prostaglandin synthesis. Prostaglandins have an important role in several physiological processes such as maintenance of gastrointestinal integrity and pathological processes such as inflammation and neoplasia. Several mechanisms have been proposed for the development of chronic rhinosinusitis, but the common final pathway seems to be an integrated process involving the mucosal epithelium, matrix, and inflammatory cells and mediators. Upper and lower airway pathologies coexist and share common etiopathogenic mechanisms, and nasal polyposis is often associated with asthma and aspirin sensitivity. The cellular source of COX activity in acute and chronic inflammation, as in chronic rhinosinusitis, is poorly understood. COX theory postulated that inhibition of COX broke down biochemical reactions that lead to the development of asthma attacks. This article focuses on COX in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyposis.
环氧化酶（COX）催化前列腺素合成中的限速步骤。前列腺素在多种生理过程中发挥重要作用，如维持胃肠道完整性，在炎症和肿瘤形成等病理过程中也有重要作用。关于慢性鼻窦炎的发病机制提出了多种假说，但共同的最终途径似乎是一个涉及黏膜上皮、基质、炎症细胞和介质的综合过程。上、下呼吸道疾病共存且具有共同的病因发病机制，鼻息肉常与哮喘和阿司匹林敏感性相关。在急性和慢性炎症（如慢性鼻窦炎）中，COX活性的细胞来源尚不清楚。COX理论推测，抑制COX可阻断导致哮喘发作的生化反应。本文重点关注COX在慢性鼻窦炎和鼻息肉发病机制中的作用。
