Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by NADPH oxidase activation in neutrophils play a major role in mediating sepsis-induced acute lung injury. To provide insight into whether the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin might attenuate oxidant-induced lung injury, we examined the effect of apocynin on (1) sepsis-induced lung injury in guinea pigs, (2) ROS generation by LPS-stimulated neutrophils measured by chemiluminescence (CL), and (3) LPS-stimulated neutrophil-mediated human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) injury assessed by 51Cr release. Sepsis-induced lung injury in guinea pigs was assessed by comparing 125I-labeled albumin concentrations in lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid relative to plasma (L/P and BAL/P), lung wet-to-dry weight ratios, and the number of neutrophils in BAL fluid. The lung wet-to-dry weight ratio, L/P, and the number of neutrophils in BAL fluid decreased after pretreatment and post-treatment with apocynin. BAL/P decreased upon pretreatment but not upon post-treatment with apocynin. Apocynin at concentrations from 10 to 100 micrograms/ml significantly reduced LPS-stimulated neutrophil CL and neutrophil-mediated HUVEC 51Cr release. We conclude that the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin attenuates (1) sepsis-induced lung injury in guinea pigs, (2) neutrophil ROS generation measured by CL, and (3) neutrophil-mediated HUVEC injury assessed by 51Cr release.