Molecular Aspects of Medicine 24 (2003) 147–148www.elsevier.com/locate/mam

Editorial

4-Hydroxynonenal: a lipid degradationproduct provided with cell regulatory functions

Dedicated to Prof. Hermann Esterbauer

Since 1991, the year of publication of the seminal review on the lipid peroxidation

product 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) by Hermann Esterbauer and colleagues, really ahuge number of reports has been published which support a role for this aldehyde in a

variety of human disease processes. But only the recent initiative of the HNE Club, an

official group of interest of the International Society for Free Radical Research, to

have a scientific meeting focused on HNE prompted us to achieve a comprehensive

collection of updated scientific contributions on this matter. Last year in Salzburg (July

2002), Prof. Peter Eckl and his valid collaborators organized a marvellous and un-

forgettable 1st InternationalMeeting onHNE and related lipid peroxidation products.

To this meeting enthusiastically attended almost all international experts of HNEbiochemical, biological, pathophysiological effects, as well as many other colleagues

and friends of the Free Radical scientific community. Prof. Angelo Azzi kindly pro-

vided us with the way to involve many of those experts in preparing a booklet fully

0098-2997/03/$ - see front matter � 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

doi:10.1016/S0098-2997(03)00008-6

148 Editorial / Molecular Aspects of Medicine 24 (2003) 147–148

devoted to HNE and its possible role in Biology and Medicine. At last, we have,

framed together, best and absolutely needed indications how to handle this very in-

teresting molecule in future investigations of pathobiologic interest. In fact, HNE

relevant chemistry, metabolism, methods of detection, cell signaling and occurrence in

a large variety of human disease processes are summarized here in this collection of

scientific contributions, that we believe is of significant interest for many readers.Of course, as editors of this special issue of Molecular Aspects of Medicine, but

mainly as close collaborators and friends of Prof. Hermann Esterbauer, we would

like to dedicate this publication to the memory of such a great scientist and friend,

who first described HNE and then succeeded in a really worldwide dissemination of

scientific interest and consideration about the biological potential of this biogenic

aldehyde.

Guest EditorsGiuseppe Poli

Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences

S. Luigi Gonzaga Hospital

University of Turin, Orbassano, Turin 10043, Italy

E-mail address: giuseppe.poli@unito.it

J€oorg Schaur

Institute of Molecular Biology

Biochemistry & Microbiology

University of Graz

Schuberstrasse 1, 8010 Graz, Austria

Tel.: +43-316-380-5507; fax: +43-316-380-9857

E-mail address: rudolf.schaur@kfunigraz.ac.at