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Review
. 2023 Dec 1;12(2):675-693.
doi: 10.1002/fsn3.3784. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Reactive oxygen species in biological systems: Pathways, associated diseases, and potential inhibitors-A review

Abdur Rauf  1 , Anees Ahmed Khalil  2 , Samir Awadallah  3 , Shahid Ali Khan  4 , Tareq Abu-Izneid  5 , Muhammad Kamran  6 , Hassan A Hemeg  7 , Mohammad S Mubarak  8 , Ahood Khalid  2 , Polrat Wilairatana  9
Affiliations
Review

Reactive oxygen species in biological systems: Pathways, associated diseases, and potential inhibitors-A review

Abdur Rauf et al. Food Sci Nutr. .

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced under normal physiological conditions and may have beneficial and harmful effects on biological systems. ROS are involved in many physiological processes such as differentiation, proliferation, necrosis, autophagy, and apoptosis by acting as signaling molecules or regulators of transcription factors. In this case, maintaining proper cellular ROS levels is known as redox homeostasis. Oxidative stress occurs because of the imbalance between the production of ROS and antioxidant defenses. Sources of ROS include the mitochondria, auto-oxidation of glucose, and enzymatic pathways such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate reduced (NAD[P]H) oxidase. The possible ROS pathways are NF-κB, MAPKs, PI3K-Akt, and the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway. This review covers the literature pertaining to the possible ROS pathways and strategies to inhibit them. Additionally, this review summarizes the literature related to finding ROS inhibitors.

Keywords: ROS inhibitors; ROS pathways; auto‐oxidation; neurodegenerative diseases; redox homeostasis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Graphical representation of significant sites for the production of endogenous reactive oxygen species.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Overview of some neurodegenerative diseases and their associated mechanisms involving neuronal death pathways.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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