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iNOS and COX-2 in atherosclerosis

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Inducible Enzymes in the Inflammatory Response

Part of the book series: Progress in Inflammation Research ((PIR))

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Abstract

Introduction Atherosclerosis is a disease of the blood vessels and its associated clinical events are a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in the Western world today [1, 2]. The disease is regulated by a large number of different factors which partly explains why the aetiology and pathogenesis of atherosclerosis remain incompletely defined. Since the discovery of prostacyclin in the 1970s [3] and nitric oxide in the 1980s [4] considerable evidence has been amassed to indicate that these physiologic and pathophysiologic mediators contribute significantly to the regulation of atherosclerosis. The aim of this short review is to discuss the actions of these mediators in atherosclerosis, focusing on the enzymes regulating their synthesis, in particular their inducible isoforms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Histochemistry, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 ONN, UK

    Lee D. K. Buttery & Julia M. Polak

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  1. Lee D. K. Buttery
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  1. Department of Experimental Pathology, St. Bartholomew’s and The Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK

    Derek A. Willoughby  & Annette Tomlinson  & 

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Buttery, L.D.K., Polak, J.M. (1999). iNOS and COX-2 in atherosclerosis. In: Willoughby, D.A., Tomlinson, A. (eds) Inducible Enzymes in the Inflammatory Response. Progress in Inflammation Research. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8747-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8747-2_5

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Basel

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-0348-9755-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-0348-8747-2

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