© 2014 Rory R. Koenen. This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 3.0 license. American Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology Editorial Neutrophil Extracellular Traps as Therapeutic Targets for Inflammatory Disea

Neutrophilic granulocytes, or neutrophils are the most abundant circulating white blood cell and constitute a first line of defense against pathogens. They are characterized by a large polymorphic lobular nucleus and the presence of many secretory granules in their cytoplasm. Neutrophils are essential for a functional host defense, as is evidenced by the occurrence of severe infections in individuals with decreased neutrophil numbers or neutrophil function. Neutrophils bind to and subsequently phagocytize bacteria, which are effectively destroyed by reactive oxygen species and digestive enzymes in the neutrophil's interior. Being secretory cells, neutrophils also release numerous factors with antimicrobial or immunomodulatory activity (Brinkmann et al., 2004; Soehnlein and Lindbom, 2010; Kolaczkowska and Kubes