Heme Oxygenase: The Elegant Orchestration of its Products in Medicine

Heme oxygenase is an enzyme which breaks down heme, the iron-containing oxygen-carrying constituent of the red blood cells. Heme must be synthesised and degraded within an individual nucleated cell, as heme is essential for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis by sensing or using oxygen. Physiological heme degradation is catalysed by the two functional isozymes of heme oxygenase, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and HO-2, yielding CO, iron, and biliverdin IXN. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), has potent anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-proliferative effects, is up-regulated by multiple stimuli and provides protection against oxidative stress. HO-1 also plays an important role in the regulation of cardiovascular function and is involved in many other diseases such as sickle cell disease. This new book brings together leading research from around the world in this field.