The inducible isoforms of the enzymes cyclooxygenase (COX 2), nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) have generated great interest as possible therapeutic targets in inflammation. This book is the first publication to address the importance of all three enzymes and the consequences of their interactions to the inflammatory process. The book brings together overviews by leading researchers in the field of the current status of knowledge of COX, NOS and HO in inflammation. These overviews cover a series of new concepts in the mechanism of inflammation. Topics include inducible enzyme involvement in inflammatory processes including the role in vascular permeability, leukocycte migration, granuloma formation, angiogenesis, neuroinflammation and algesia. New findings from transgenic animal models are reviewed. Other chapters address the importance of these enzymes in inflammatory disease states including rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis and multiple sclerosis. The possibility of selective inhibitors or inducers of COX, NOS and HO, and their use in the clinic is discussed. The subject matter of this book is of interest to rheumatologists, pathologists, pharmacologists, neuroscientists and anyone with an academic interest in the mechanisms of inflammation.
