Elsevier

Redox Biology

Volume 4, April 2015, Pages 180-183
Redox Biology

Mini Review
Oxidative stress: a concept in redox biology and medicine

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2015.01.002 Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • Oxidative stress denotes deviation from redox steady state.

  • Oxidative stress is an attribute of aerobic metabolism.

  • Oxidative stress evokes stress responses.

  • Oxidative stress activates molecular redox switches.

Abstract

“Oxidative stress” as a concept in redox biology and medicine has been formulated in 1985; at the beginning of 2015, approx. 138,000 PubMed entries show for this term. This concept has its merits and its pitfalls. Among the merits is the notion, elicited by the combined two terms of (i) aerobic metabolism as a steady-state redox balance and (ii) the associated potential strains in the balance as denoted by the term, stress, evoking biological stress responses. Current research on molecular redox switches governing oxidative stress responses is in full bloom. The fundamental importance of linking redox shifts to phosphorylation/dephosphorylation signaling is being more fully appreciated, thanks to major advances in methodology. Among the pitfalls is the fact that the underlying molecular details are to be worked out in each particular case, which is bvious for a global concept, but which is sometimes overlooked. This can lead to indiscriminate use of the term, oxidative stress, without clear relation to redox chemistry. The major role in antioxidant defense is fulfilled by antioxidant enzymes, not by small-molecule antioxidant compounds. The field of oxidative stress research embraces chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, physiology and pathophysiology, all the way to medicine and health and disease research.

Keywords

Oxidative stress
Redox balance
Oxidants
Antioxidants
Redox signaling
Adaptive response

Cited by (0)