xtracellular superoxide dismutase and cardiovascular disease

•2 Excessive production and/or inadequate removal of reactive oxygen species, especially superoxide anion (O ), have been implicated 2 in the pathogenesis of many cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, and in endothelial dysfunction by •2 decreasing nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity. Since the vascular levels of O are regulated by the superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes, a 2 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.  2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.