Reactive oxygen species: from health to disease

• Published in: Swiss medical weekly Vol. 142; no. 3334; p. w13659
• Main Authors: Brieger, Katharine, Schiavone, Stefania, Miller Jr, Francis J., Krause, Karl-Heinz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland SMW supporting association (Trägerverein Swiss Medical Weekly SMW) 2012
• Subjects: Aging; Antioxidant; Antioxidants - metabolism; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cognition - physiology; free radical; Hearing Loss - etiology; Humans; Immunity; Mental Disorders - etiology; NADPH oxidase; NADPH Oxidases; Neoplasms - etiology; Nervous System Diseases - etiology; NOX; Oxidative stress; reactive oxygen species (ROS); Reactive Oxygen Species - antagonists & inhibitors; Reactive Oxygen Species - chemistry; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Thyroid Gland - physiology; Vision Disorders - etiology

Upon reaction with electrons, oxygen is transformed into reactive oxygen species (ROS). It has long been known that ROS can destroy bacteria and destroy human cells, but research in recent decades has highlighted new roles for ROS in health and disease. Indeed, while prolonged exposure to high ROS c...