Definition: Alpha-1 Antitrypsin is a regulatory enzyme manufactured by the liver and released into the plasma where it is transported. The role of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin is to inhibit elastase.
Elastase is an enzyme that is manufactured by certian white blood cells and released into plasma for transport where it digests elastin.
Elastin is what the lungs and airways are composed of. In healthy lungs and airways, old elastin is digested by elastase and replaced with new elastin.
Elastase production is controlled by alpha-1 antitrypsin. Therefore, when alpha-1 antitrypsin levels are too low to control the production of elastase (as in Alpha-1 Antityrpsin Deficiency), elastase builds up and begins to destroy healthy tissue. It is this destruction that marks the beginning of emphysema when it precedes chronic bronchitis.
Source: The Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema Handbook by Haas & Haas
Also Known As: A1A, ATT
Common Misspellings: Alpha-1 Antitripsin