#lung protection
- Antitrypsin — A plasma glycoprotein synthesized primarily by liver cells, having the essential physiological role of inhibiting the activity of proteolytic enzymes, especially trypsin and neutrophil elastase. The most prominent representative of this class is alpha-1-antitrypsin, a macromolecular substance that protects fragile lung tissue against self-destructive enzymatic degradation, its genetic deficiency being directly linked to early-onset pulmonary emphysema and liver cirrhosis.