著者

三橋 秀基 梶山 浩 野島 美久

出版者

日本炎症・再生医学会

雑誌

炎症 (ISSN:03894290)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.19, no.3, pp.137-142, 1999-05-31 (Released:2010-04-12)

参考文献数

16

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Sulfite is a major air pollutant which can cause inflammatory reactions in the respiratory tract characterized by an influx of neutrophils. In addition, sulfating agents are widely used in the food and beverages industries as antimicrobials or antioxidants. Sulfite is also an important intermediatory compound in the metabolic pathway from sulfur containing amino acids to sulfate in mammalians. Human serum contains some amounts of sulfite. But the production and physiological role of sulfite in mammalians are still unclear. We have recently shown that human neutro-phils produced significant amounts of sulfite in vitro in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. In a rat model of sepsis induced by in vivo injection of LPS, sulfite concentration in serum was significantly increased. These results suggest that sulfite can be actively generated by mammalian cells in vivo and in vitro. In this brief review article, we discuss a potential role of sulfite as an endogenous mediator of inflammation.