Acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome after smoke inhalation and cell stress

Acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome after smoke inhalation is the major cause of death in the fire victims.The mechanisms are still not so clear.Recent studies show that this severe lung injury syndrome is related to cell stress.When smoke is inhaled,stresses such as heat shock begin earlier and make different kinds of heat shock proteins,oxidative stress induces the expression of various enzymes and reactive oxygen species,while hypoxia stress induces hypoxia-inducible factors.The biological significance of such stress proteins is the increased resistance against further perturbations of cell homeostasis,and thus,enhanced survival.However,when stress is persistent or cellular functions are severely impaired,apoptotic pathways are activated to protect the organism by eliminating the damaged cells. Key words: Smoke inhalation; Acute lung injury; Acute respiratory distress syndrome; Cell stress