Mechanism of oxidative stress: Impact of oxidative stress on human health

Abstract

The evolution of aerobic metabolic processes such as respiration unavoidably led to the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNI) in mitochondria and peroxisomes of human. A common feature among the different ROS types is their capacity to cause oxidative damage to proteins, DNA, and lipids. Depending on the nature of the ROS species, some are highly toxic and rapidly detoxified by various cellular enzymatic and nonenzymatic mechanisms. In other circumstances, human purposefully generates ROS as signaling molecules to control various processes including defence against pathogen and programmed cell death. Information are accumulating steadily which shows oxidative damage of tissue, and cellular components may act as a primary or secondary causative factor in many different human diseases and aging processes. This chapter describes the roles of ROS in different human diseases and ultimate human mechanisms which are applied to control these circumstances.