Sulphur mustard (SM) and nitrogen mustard (NM) are alkylating agents known to cause severe damage to organs including the skin, eyes, lungs and nervous system, among which pulmonary toxicity is the major cause of death. 1 Pulmonary toxicity involves complicated cellular events, including DNA damage, oxidative stress, acute injury and inflammation. [2][3][4] In those who survive vesicant exposure, progressive inflammation often leads to pulmonary fibrosis and prolonged respiratory dysfunction. [5][6][7][8] Pulmonary exposure to SM/NM induces alkylating injuries with an acute and a chronic injury phase. The acute lung injury develops due to oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation and liberation of inflammatory mediators. [9][10][11] The prolonged injury is mediated by chronic inflammation and fibrotic remodelling in the upper and small airways. 12,13 Despite many studies investigating the mechanism of mustard-induced lung injury, current therapies to treat mustard poisoning are mostly palliative. [4][5][6][7][8][14][15][16][17][18][19] Therapeutic means that mitigate acute oxidative stress, harness inflammation and restore cell membrane integrity could potentially alleviate the deleterious impact of vesicant and other environmental insults in the lung.MG53 is a member of the TRIM protein (TRIM72), which functions as an essential component of plasma membrane repair. 20,21 MG53 knockout mice (mg53 −/− ) develop pulmonary pathology due