Title:Oxidative Stress in Autoimmune Diseases: An Under Dealt Malice
Volume: 21
Issue: 6
Author(s): Sheetal Ramani, Ayush Pathak, Vikram Dalal, Anamika Paul and Sagarika Biswas*
Affiliation:
- Department of Integrative and Functional Genomics, CSIR- Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, 110007,India
Keywords:
Autoimmune diseases, oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus,
type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis.
Abstract: Oxidative stress is the off-balance of antioxidants and free radicals. All kinds of diseases
and disorders give rise to oxidative damage including autoimmune diseases. An autoimmune disorder
is a pathological condition characterized by the breakdown of self-tolerance of the immune system in
the body. Immunological processes against tissues and organs lead to enhanced oxidative stress and, in
turn, misbalance of oxidative stress aggravates the pathobiology of the disease. Highly reactive nature
of free radicals, for example hydroxyl and superoxide ions, alters DNA, protein, and lipids in the body
which augment the pathologic processes of diseases. The damaged biomolecules are responsible for
systemic complications and secondary disease co-morbidities. In this review, we discuss the role of
oxidative stress in some incapacitating autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic Lupus
Erythematosus, Type 1 Diabetes, and Multiple Sclerosis. Oxidative stress plays a central and course
defining role in these diseases and it has become a necessity to study the pathological mechanism involved
in oxidative stress to better understand and offer treatment holistically. Presently there are no
clinically available parameters for measurement and treatment of pathological oxidative stress, therefore
it requires intensive research. Probably, in the future, the discovery of easily detectable markers of
oxidative stress can aid in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of progressively destructive autoimmune
diseases.
