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Antioxidants
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Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS): Key Components in Infection Control, Wound...
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Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS): Key Components in Infection Control, Wound Healing, and Cancer Therapy

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "ROS, RNS and RSS".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 2648

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Christian Scharf

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
Interests: electrophoresis; genomics; mass spectrometry; proteins; gene expression; protein expression; protein purification; gel electrophoresis; SDS-PAGE; chromatography; oxidative stress; wound healing; cancer therapy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are central to numerous physiological and pathological processes, with dual roles in cellular signaling and oxidative stress. In recent years, ROS have gained increasing attention as critical mediators in therapeutic strategies for infection control, tissue repair, and oncology.

This Special Issue aims to explore the versatile and evolving roles of ROS in translational medicine, focusing on:

  • Infection control: including bactericidal mechanisms, immune defense modulation, and strategies against antibiotic-resistant pathogens and biofilms.
  • Wound healing: particularly the redox-regulated phases of inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling in acute and chronic wounds.
  • Cancer therapy: where ROS contribute to apoptosis induction, redox imbalance, immune activation, and improved response to chemotherapeutic and radiotherapeutic agents. 

We welcome experimental, clinical, and theoretical contributions addressing ROS-related mechanisms, antioxidant defense systems, and redox-sensitive signaling pathways. Special attention will be given to innovative therapeutic strategies that harness or modulate ROS—including drug delivery systems, biomaterials, and novel technologies such as cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) and plasma-activated media (PAM). 

By integrating diverse perspectives from redox biology, immunology, oncology, infectious disease, and regenerative medicine, this Special Issue seeks to highlight the potential of ROS-targeted approaches in improving human health and developing next-generation therapies.

Dr. Christian Scharf
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antioxidants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • reactive oxygen species (ROS)
  • oxidative stress
  • redox signaling
  • antioxidant defense
  • wound healing
  • biofilm eradication
  • infection control
  • cancer therapy
  • immune modulation
  • cold atmospheric plasma (CAP)
  • plasma-activated media (PAM)
  • translational redox medicine

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 17534 KB  
Article
Feilike and Its Constituent Licochalcone B Trigger Caspase-3/GSDME-Mediated Pyroptosis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer via Modulation of the Mutant p53–Calcium/ER Stress–ROS–MAPK Axis
by Jue Yang, Peng Zhao, Lianghong Zhou, Hui Song, Zili Feng, Hongjian Cui, Yanmei Li, Jianfei Qiu and Xiaojiang Hao
Antioxidants 2026, 15(5), 649; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15050649 - 21 May 2026
Viewed by 156
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with limited targeted therapeutic options, underscoring the urgent need for novel treatment strategies. Feilike (FLK), a Traditional Chinese Medicine formula with heat-clearing and detoxifying properties, aligns with key pathological features implicated in [...] Read more.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with limited targeted therapeutic options, underscoring the urgent need for novel treatment strategies. Feilike (FLK), a Traditional Chinese Medicine formula with heat-clearing and detoxifying properties, aligns with key pathological features implicated in breast cancer progression. In addition, several of its components have demonstrated anti-tumor activity, positioning FLK as a potential therapeutic candidate for TNBC. In this study, we employed an integrated approach combining network pharmacology, transcriptomic analysis, and experimental validation to investigate the anti-TNBC effects of FLK. Our results demonstrate that FLK significantly inhibits the proliferation of TNBC cell lines and patient-derived organoids and induces typical pyroptotic features, including cell swelling and increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Mechanistically, FLK triggers a mutant p53 signaling cascade involving calcium dysregulation, endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) activation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which collectively activate the P38/JNK–Caspase-3/GSDME pathway to induce pyroptosis. In vivo, FLK markedly suppresses tumor growth in a 4T1 orthotopic mouse model and enhances the anti-tumor efficacy of Cyclophosphamide. Furthermore, Licochalcone B (LCB) is identified as a key bioactive constituent that recapitulates the pyroptosis-inducing effects of FLK. Collectively, our findings uncover a previously unrecognized mutant p53–ERS–ROS–MAPK signaling axis underlying FLK-induced pyroptosis and provide mechanistic insight and experimental evidence supporting the repurposing of FLK as a potential therapeutic strategy for TNBC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS): Key Components in Infection Control, Wound Healing, and Cancer Therapy)
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Review

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25 pages, 1154 KB  
Review
Phagocyte NADPH Oxidase NOX2-Derived Reactive Oxygen Species in Antimicrobial Defense: Mechanisms, Regulation, and Therapeutic Potential—A Narrative Review
by George Țocu, Bogdan Ioan Ștefănescu, Loredana Stavăr Matei and Lavinia Țocu
Antioxidants 2026, 15(1), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15010055 - 31 Dec 2025
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1957
Abstract
ROS derived from NADPH oxidase, particularly NOX2, are central to antimicrobial defense, coupling direct pathogen killing with redox signaling that shapes inflammation. This narrative review integrates recent advances on NOX2 structure, assembly, and spatiotemporal control in phagocytes, and outlines how ROS interact with [...] Read more.
ROS derived from NADPH oxidase, particularly NOX2, are central to antimicrobial defense, coupling direct pathogen killing with redox signaling that shapes inflammation. This narrative review integrates recent advances on NOX2 structure, assembly, and spatiotemporal control in phagocytes, and outlines how ROS interact with NF-κB, MAPK, and Nrf2 networks to coordinate microbicidal activity and immune modulation. We summarize evidence that both ROS deficiency, as in chronic granulomatous disease, and uncontrolled excess, as in sepsis and severe COVID-19, drive clinically significant pathology, emphasizing the need for precise redox balance. Emerging therapeutic strategies include selective NOX2 inhibitors that limit pathological oxidative bursts, redox-modulating peptides that disrupt upstream activation cues, and Nrf2 activators that enhance endogenous antioxidant capacity, with attention to dosing challenges that preserve host defense while mitigating tissue injury. Key gaps remain in biomarker standardization, real-time in vivo ROS monitoring, and translation from animal models to patients, motivating personalized, combination approaches to redox medicine in infectious diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS): Key Components in Infection Control, Wound Healing, and Cancer Therapy)
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