Genetic and pharmacologic evidence links oxidative stress to ventilator-induced lung injury in mice.

Rationale: Mechanical ventilation (MV) is an indispensable therapy for critically ill patients with acute lung injury and the adult respiratory distress syndrome. However, the mechanisms by which conventional MV induces lung injury remain unclear.

Objectives: We hypothesized that disruption of the gene encoding Nrf2, a transcription factor that regulates the induction of several antioxidant enzymes, enhances susceptibility to ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) and that antioxidant supplementation attenuates this effect.