Oxidative stress and inflammation

Abstract

This chapter describes the oxidative stress and different inflammatory diseases with special reference to neurological disorders. Neuroinflammation mediates neurodegeneration by inducing the release of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), thereby causing oxidative stress and further inflammation. The NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway activation-mediated by oxidative stress in microglia is crucial for the development and progression of various neurodegenerative diseases. However, during oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, or mitochondrial dysfunction, the antioxidant response might be insufficient to ameliorate the redox imbalance. Oxidative stress is considered to be an important process that contributes to the progression of Huntington's disease (HD) as it has been well documented in HD patients. Metabolic reactions generate ROS in different cellular compartments. Although mitochondria are regarded as the primary site and the electron transport chain as the main source of ROS, there are other sources which are also responsible for the generation of a significant amount of ROS, thereby resulting in different pathological conditions.