Use of carbon monoxide in minimizing ischemia/reperfusion injury in transplantation.

ABSTRACT: Although carbon monoxide (CO) is known to be toxic because of its ability to interfere with oxygen delivery at high concentrations, mammalian cells endogenously generate CO primarily via the catalysis of heme by heme oxygenases. Recent findings have indicated that heme oxygenases and generation of CO serve as a key mechanism to maintain the integrity of the physiological function of organs and supported the development of a new paradigm that CO, at low concentrations, functions as a signaling molecule in the body and exerts significant cytoprotection. Consequently, exogenously delivered CO has been shown to mediate potent protection in various injury models through its anti-inflammatory, vasodilating, and antiapoptotic functions. Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury associated with organ tran

SUBMITTER: Ozaki KS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3261352 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature