The members of the NOX/DUOX family of NADPH oxidases mediate such physiologic functions as host defense, cell signaling, and
thyroid hormone biosynthesis through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide anion and hydrogen
peroxide. Moreover, ROS are involved in a broad range of fundamental biochemical and cellular processes, and data accumulated
in recent years indicate that the NOX enzymes comprise one of the most important biological sources of ROS. Given the high
biochemical reactivity of ROS, it is not surprising that they have been implicated in a wide variety of pathologies and diseases.
Prominent among the settings that feature ROS-mediated tissue injury are disorders associated with inflammation, aging, and
progressive degenerative changes in cells and organ systems, and it appears that essentially no organ system is exempt. Among
the disorders currently believed to be mediated at least in part by NOX-derived ROS are hypertension, aortic aneurysm, myocardial
infarction (and other ischemia–reperfusion disorders), pulmonary fibrosis and hypertension, amyotropic lateral sclerosis,
Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ischemic stroke, diabetic nephropathy, and renal cell carcinoma. Several small-molecule
and peptide inhibitors of the NOX enzymes have been useful in experimental studies, but issues of specificity, potency, and
toxicity militate against any of the existing published compounds as candidates for drug development. Given the broad array
of disease targets documented in recent work, the time is here for vigorous efforts to develop clinically useful inhibitors
of the NOX enzymes. As most (though not all) NOX-related diseases appear to be mediated by a single member of the NOX family,
agents with isoform specificity will be preferred, although broadly active NOX inhibitors may prove to be useful in some settings.
Keywords Drug development - Nox - Reactive oxygen