Toxins and Lung Infection 2.0

Dear colleagues,

The alveolar–capillary barrier in the lungs is the primary exchange surface for the uptake of O₂ from the alveolar space into the blood circulation and the removal of CO₂ from the capillaries. This vulnerable system requires that the alveoli remain relatively dry (assured by vectorial sodium transport-driven alveolar liquid clearance), that the barriers remain tight, and that infiltrating cells mediating innate and adaptive immunity towards invading pathogens do not attack resident lung cells. Bacterial toxins have the extraordinary ability to modify the status of immune cells involved in anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal defense, as well as of  resident alveolar epithelial and capillary endothelial cells in the lungs, as such causing reduced alveolar fluid clearance, hyperinflammation, excessive oxidative stress and impaired barrier function. All of these actions can significantly contribute to lung disease, including pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This Special Issue will focus on how bacterial, viral, and fungal toxins affect cellular processes involved in pathophysiology and resolution of lung disease and how their actions may be mitigated by existing therapeutics or novel therapeutic candidates. The reader will be provided with an overall view of what is presently known about the mode of action and functions of these toxins, and how they may be inhibited or even harnessed to promote the entry of other important biologically relevant proteins and substances.

Prof. Dr. Trinad Chakraborty
Prof. Dr. Rudolf Lucas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Bacterial toxins
• Fungal toxins
• ARDS
• pneumonia
• oxidative stress