Extracellular superoxide dismutase and cardiovascular disease

Excessive production and/or inadequate removal of reactive oxygen species, especially superoxide anion (O-2(.-)), have been implicated in the pathogenesis of many cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, and in endothelial dysfunction by decreasing nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity. Since the vascular levels of O-2(.-) are regulated by the superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes, a role of SOD in the cardiovascular disease is of substantial interest. Particularly, a major form of SOD in the vessel wall is the extracellular SOD (ecSOD). This review will discuss the characteristics of ecSOD and the role of ecSOD in cardiovascular diseases. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.