Role of neutrophil-derived reactive oxygen species for host defense and inflammation

Neutrophil accumulation is a critical event in the pathogenesis of inflammation. The generation of hypochlorous acid by myeloperoxidase (MPO) in neutrophils is crucial to the host defense response. MPO-deficient (MPO-KO) mice showed severely reduced cytotoxicity to Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Cryptococcus neoformans and other microorganisms, demonstrating that an MPO-dependent oxidative system is important for in vivo host defense against fungi. On the other hand, impaired reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by neutrophils has previously been shown to cause an abnormal inflammatory response. In the present study, we have found that MPO-KO mice exhibit more severe pulmonary inflammation than wild-type mice when challenged with an intranasal administration of zymosan. In addition to measuring the kinetics of neutrophil accumulation, we also measured the production of macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) in the lung, and we correlate the degree of neutrophil accumulation with the production of this mediator. Our results demonstrate that MPO regulates the production of MIP-2, which may modulate neutrophil accumulation during lung inflammation.