Chapter category: Ischemia-Reperfusion
Therapeutic Utilities of SOD Mimetics: Catecholamines, Superoxide and Septic Shock
Chapter authors:
Heather Macarthur
Septic shock occurs when control is lost of the normal defense mechanisms of the body. This results in an inappropriate production of inflammatory mediators including free radicals. A major manifestation of septic shock is the development of a vascular crisis characterized by nonresponsiveness to sympathetic vasoconstrictor agents and a subsequent irreversible fall in blood pressure. Within the healthy individual the catecholamines norepinephrine and epinephrine are, to a large extent, responsible for maintaining vascular integrity. Interestingly these same mediators also play a significant role in controlling the inflammatory response. As septic shock develops there is a large increase in the production of reactive oxygen species, including superoxide anions (O2-) within the body. These reactive species have many deleterious effects including the deactivation of catecholamines. This chapter will review what is known about the respective functions of catecholamines and reactive oxygen species in the pathogenesis of septic shock. The consequences for the deactivation of catecholamines by O2- will also be discussed.
