Edaravone: A Possible Treatment for Acute Lung Injury

Ma Huang,1,* Yalan Mo,2,* Haiyun Lei,1,* Miao Chen1 1Department of Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Centre for Infectious Diseases, General Hospital of Hunan Medical College, Huaihua, Hunan, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Miao Chen, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi City, Gui Zhou, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8613595248166, Email [email protected]: Despite technological advances in science and medicine, acute lung injury (ALI) is still associated with high mortality rates in the ICU. Therefore, finding novel drugs and treatment approaches is crucial to preventing ALI. Drug repurposing is a common practice in clinical research, primarily for drugs that have previously received approval for use in patients, to investigate novel uses of drugs and therapies. One such medication is edaravone, which is a highly effective free-radical scavenger that also has anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and anti-fibrotic effects. Both basic and clinical studies have shown that edaravone can treat different types of lung injury through its distinct properties. Edaravone exhibits significant protective benefits and holds promising clinical treatment potential for ALI caused by diverse factors, thereby offering a novel approach to treating ALI. This study aims to provide new insights and treatment options for ALI by reviewing both basic and clinical research on the use of edaravone. The focus is on evaluating the effectiveness of edaravone in treating ALI caused by various factors. Keywords: acute lung injury, edaravone, oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, fibrosis