A role for the anti-inflammatory properties of tetracyclines in the prevention of acute lung injury

The etiology of inflammatory disorders involves many cellular, plasmatic ac id humoral pathways of signaling culminating in the production of enzymatic and free radical mediated tissue damage. Multiple redundant pathways of in itiation and elusive temporal expression of initiators pose formidable barr iers to effective treatment. Nowhere is this more evident than in the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a systemic inflammatory disorder lea ding to pulmonary failure where, despite significant advances in intensive care management, mortality has improved only 10% over the last decade. Tetr acyclines, in addition to their anti-microbial properties, exhibit inhibito ry activity toward several initiators of the inflammatory cascade and media tors of tissue damage. in this review we discuss how the broad spectrum ant i-inflammatory properties of the tetracyclines make them attractive candida tes for use in the prevention of acute lung injury.