Hormones and Oxidative Stress

Dear Colleagues,

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated as normal products of aerobic cellular metabolism. ROS produced at low concentrations have beneficial effects on a variety of physiological processes, including cellular signaling, proliferation, and growth. However, when present at high levels, ROS can react with lipids, proteins, and DNA, causing cell damage with consequent biochemical and biophysical deleterious effects. Therefore, all aerobic organisms have evolved both enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant defense mechanisms to counteract the deleterious impact of ROS on cells and tissues. An imbalance between the production of ROS and the capability of the antioxidant defense system results in the induction of oxidative stress, which is involved in different pathological events, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. The regulation of cellular antioxidant defenses may be influenced by different factors, such as age, organ specificity, and hormonal state. Some hormones, such as melatonin, insulin, and estrogen, act as antioxidants and/or exert an impact on the various enzymatic and non-enzymatic components of the defense system, while others, including thyroid hormones, corticosteroids, and catecholamines, promote the generation of ROS and oxidative stress. Moreover, any alterations in the hormonal milieu can exhibit significant effects on ROS production and oxidative stress, possibly leading to pathological conditions. The intricate interplay between the endocrine system, redox equilibrium, and oxidative stress is a topic that deserves to be elucidated given its potential impact on human health. 

For this Special Issue, “Hormones and Oxidative Stress”, we invite you to submit your original research papers and reviews with the aim of better understanding the complex relationship between hormonal conditions, redox states, and oxidative stress in living systems in both physiological and pathological conditions.

Dr. Silvia Nistri
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

• reactive oxygen species
• oxidative stress
• hormones
• antioxidants
• melatonin
• insulin
• estrogen