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pubmed:abstractText |
The inhalation of SO2 or the ingestion of beverages or food containing sulfite as a preservative has been associated with exacerbations of obstructive pulmonary disease. In this study it is demonstrated that 15-HPETE, a likely component of the lung's inflammatory response, can initiate the autoxidation of sulfite. Since 1 mol of 15-HPETE can initiate the consumption of 3 mol of oxygen and 6 mol of sulfite, it is likely that a free radical chain mechanism is operative. Direct evidence for the production of relatively small quantities of superoxide and indirect evidence for the production of lipid sulfonates are presented. It is possible that an intermediate free radical or product (as lipid sulfonate) is involved in the bronchospastic response to inhaled SO2.
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