Citation

Malaviya R, Laskin JD, Laskin DL. Toxicol. Lett. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA. Electronic address: laskin@eohsi.rutgers.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.toxlet.2019.10.026

PMID

31698045

Abstract

Sulfur mustard and related vesicants are cytotoxic alkylating agents that cause severe damage to the respiratory tract. Injury is progressive leading, over time, to asthma, bronchitis, bronchiectasis, airway stenosis, and pulmonary fibrosis. As there are no specific therapeutics available for victims of mustard gas poisoning, current clinical treatments mostly provide only symptomatic relief. In this article, the long-term effects of mustards on the respiratory tract are described in humans and experimental animal models in an effort to define cellular and molecular mechanisms contributing to lung injury and disease pathogenesis. A better understanding of mechanisms underlying pulmonary toxicity induced by mustards may help in identifying potential targets for the development of effective clinical therapeutics aimed at mitigating their adverse effects.

Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Language: en

Keywords

Lung injury; Mustard vesicant; Pulmonary fibrosis