From reactive species to disease development: Effect of oxidants and antioxidants on the cellular biomarkers

• Published in: Journal of biochemical and molecular toxicology Vol. 37; no. 11; p. e23455
• Main Authors: Curieses Andrés, Celia María, Pérez de la Lastra, José Manuel, Andrés Juan, Celia, Plou, Francisco J., Pérez‐Lebeña, Eduardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.11.2023
• Subjects: Antioxidants; Biomarkers; Cardiovascular diseases; Diabetes mellitus; Disease; Free radicals; Gene expression; Health services; Homeostasis; Lipids; Neurodegenerative diseases; Oxidants; Oxidizing agents; Pharmacology; Scavenging; free radicals; proteostasis failure; antioxidants; chronic pathologies; reactive stress
• ISSN: 1095-6670; 1099-0461; 1099-0461
• DOI: 10.1002/jbt.23455

The influence of modern lifestyle, diet, exposure to chemicals such as phytosanitary substances, together with sedentary lifestyles and lack of exercise play an important role in inducing reactive stress (RS) and disease. The imbalance in the production and scavenging of free radicals and the induction of RS (oxidative, nitrosative, and halogenative) plays an essential role in the etiology of various chronic pathologies, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. The implication of free radicals and reactive species injury in metabolic disturbances and the onset of many diseases have been accumulating for several decades, and are now accepted as a major cause of many chronic diseases. Exposure to elevated levels of free radicals can cause molecular structural impact on proteins, lipids, and DNA, as well as functional alteration of enzyme homeostasis, leading to aberrations in gene expression. Endogenous depletion of antioxidant enzymes can be mitigated using exogenous antioxidants. The current interest in the use of exogenous antioxidants as adjunctive agents for the treatment of human diseases allows a better understanding of these diseases, facilitating the development of new therapeutic agents with antioxidant activity to improve the treatment of various diseases. Here we examine the role that RS play in the initiation of disease and in the reactivity of free radicals and RS in organic and inorganic cellular components. Free radicals play a crucial role in the development of chronic diseases. Exogenous antioxidants can be used for the treatment of human diseases. Antioxidant‐rich foods or supplements reduce the risk of chronic diseases.