Acute inflammation in the lung is essential for host defense against pathogens and other injuries but chronic or excessive inflammation can contribute to several common respiratory diseases. In health, the inflammatory response is controlled by several cellular and molecular mechanisms. In addition to anti-inflammatory processes, there are non-phlogistic pro-resolving mechanisms that are engaged to promote the resolution of inflammation and a return to homeostasis. Defects in the production or actions of specialized pro-resolving mediators are associated with diseases characterized by excess or chronic inflammation. In this article, we review cellular and biochemical mechanisms for specialized pro-resolving mediators in health and in sepsis and the acute respiratory distress syndrome as examples of unrestrained inflammatory responses that result in life-threatening pathology. We are honored to contribute to this special edition of the Journal to help celebrate Professor Viswanathan Natarajan’s contributions to our understanding of lipid-derived mediators and metabolism in lung cell responses to inflammatory, infectious, or mechanical insults; his foundational discoveries in cell biochemistry and biophysics are continuing to catalyze further advances by the field to uncover the mechanistic underpinnings of important human diseases.

肺部急性炎症对于宿主防御病原体和其他损伤至关重要，但慢性或过度炎症可导致几种常见的呼吸道疾病。在健康方面，炎症反应受多种细胞和分子机制控制。除了抗炎过程外，还有非炎性促解决机制参与促进炎症的消退和恢复到体内平衡。专门的促分解介质的产生或作用中的缺陷与以过度或慢性炎症为特征的疾病有关。在这篇文章中，我们回顾了健康和败血症和急性呼吸窘迫综合征中专门的促分解介质的细胞和生化机制，作为导致危及生命的病理的不受限制的炎症反应的例子。我们很荣幸能为这个特别版的杂志以帮助庆祝 Viswanathan Natarajan 教授对我们理解脂质衍生介质和肺细胞对炎症、感染或机械损伤反应中的代谢的贡献；他在细胞生物化学和生物物理学方面的基础性发现继续推动该领域的进一步发展，以揭示重要人类疾病的机制基础。