Full Description
Pulmonary emphysema is a disease which develops because of a localized imbalance between endogenous proteinase inhibitors and proteinases leaking from neurophils during phagocytosis at inflammatory foci within the lung. This volume not only reviews at a biochemical level what is known about the natural inhibitors and proteinases involved in connective tissue destruction within the lung, but also suggests novel methodologies for re-establishing proper enzyme-inhibitor balance, including the use of natural or synthetic inhibitors for supplementation or gene therapy.
Contents
Pulmonary emphysema - what's going on; elastin and the lung; an introduction to the endopeptidases; lung proteinase and emphysema; multiple functions of neutrophil proteinases and their inhibitor complexes; kinetics of the interaction of human leucocyte elastase with protein substrates; proteinase inhibitor candidates for therapy of enzyme-inhibitor imbalances; antileucoprotease (secretory leucocyte proteinase inhibitor), a major proteinase inhibitor in the human lung; development and evaluation of antiproteases as drugs for preventing emphysema; genetic control of human alpha-1-antitrypson and hepatic gene therapy; neutrophils, neutrophil elastase and the fragile lung.
