KNOCKOUT OF THE NAD(P)H:QUINONE OXIDOREDUCTASE 1 GENE INCREASES SUSCEPTIBILITY TO HYPEROXIA IN MICE

Abstract

PURPOSE: NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) is a phase II antioxidant enzyme which has been shown to be induced in murine lung in response to hyperoxia by Nrf2 to protect against lung injury. Previous studies in our lab have shown that NQO1 may play a key role in hyperoxia induced epithelial cell injury and reactive oxygen species formation. We have also found that NQO1 polymorphisms are associated with increased susceptibility to acute lung injury after blunt trauma. Here, we report that the loss of NQO1 results in increased susceptibility to hyperoxia while NQO1 overexpression results in protection from hyperoxic injury in mice.