Ra. Stockley, THE ROLE OF PROTEINASES IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF CHRONIC-BRONCHITIS, American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 150(6), 1994, pp. 190000109-190000113
Citations number
39
Categorie Soggetti
Emergency Medicine & Critical Care","Respiratory System
Proteinases have been implicated in the pathogenesis of many acute and
chronic destructive lung diseases. Their role has been implied by a c
ombination of genetic deficiency of their inhibitors and/or their abil
ity to induce lung disease in animal models that resemble the human co
unterpart. However, identification of proteinases in lung tissue has p
roven difficult, with the exception of airway secretions, which often
contain excessive and varied enzyme activity. Recent studies have focu
sed on the role of these enzymes in the pathogenesis of airway disease
s. This article reviews the evidence for their role in chronic bronchi
tis, the implications of this role, and new approaches to therapy base
d on the pathogenic mechanisms involved.