Molecular mechanisms regulating apoptosis in leukocytes and endothelial cells by nitric oxide and peroxynitrite.
Neutrophils make up the majority of leukocytes I the blood, and are the first line of defence against bacterial infection and injury. These cells release their stores of granules to kill the organism, along with reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by NADPH oxidase in the cell membrane. These cells also generate and secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines, which recruit further inflammatory cells (e.g. neutrophils and monocytes) to the site, and also act as phagocytes, ingesting and destroying the target micro-organisms and dead cells, a process which prompts the cells to undergo programmed cell 