Oxidative stress in Alzheimer's disease: are we connecting the dots?

Abstract

Redox impairment is a prominent feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It has led to the "oxidative stress hypothesis", which proposes antioxidants as beneficial therapeutic tools in AD treatment. To date, a wide variety of antioxidants have been examined as neuroprotectants. However, success has been elusive in clinical trials. Several factors have contributed to this failure, including the complexity of the redox system in vivo. Potentially critical aspects include the fine-tuned equilibrium between antioxidant defenses and free radical production, the lack of specific antioxidant target(s), and the inherent difficulty in delivering antioxidants where they are needed. Herein, we highlight significant progress in the field. Future directions of antioxidant research are also presented.