ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the formation and reactivity of Hypobromous acid (HOBr) and hypothiocyanous acid (HOSCN) in biological systems and discusses the implications of these reactions in both immune defense and disease. HOBr also reacts readily with DNA, lipids, and carbohydrates, particularly glycosaminoglycans, which are a key component of the extracellular matrix. The effect of HOBr on the extracellular matrix (ECM) has further been studied in reference to inflammatory disease conditions, including asthma, as well as within diabetic renal complications. Exposure of nucleic acids to HOBr results in the formation of a series of both stable and unstable brominated products, as well as a number of other oxidized products, whereas there is no evidence to support the analogous reactions with HOSCN, either in isolated or cellular systems. By and large, the reactivity of HOBr with cellular systems has been far less extensively characterized compared to the other peroxidase-derived oxidants HOCl and HOSCN.
