SERPINA1 and alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency: Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is an inflammatory condition arising from genetic mutations in the alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) gene SERPINA1 (Zorzetto et al., 2008), resulting in little/no secretion of the major antiproteinase AAT that is crucial for the modulation of the destructive potential of neutrophil serine proteinases (NSPs).