Oxidative Stress in Cancers

Dear Colleagues,

Oxidative stress occurs when the balance between free radicals and antioxidants is disturbed, resulting in the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In cancer, ROS accumulation exerts a dual role, contributing both to the initiation and progression as well as to its suppression and treatment.

In cancer cells, appropriate levels of intracellular ROS are essential for signal transduction. At low to moderate levels, ROS promote proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and drug resistance in cancer cells, while at high levels, ROS can cause oxidative damage to proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, cell membranes, and organelles, triggering cell death through different kinds of mechanisms. This suggests that this may be a viable approach to the inhibition of cancer progression with either pro-oxidant or antioxidant therapies.

Cancer cells experience higher oxidative stress because of the hyperactivation of anabolic pathways, increased mitochondrial function, malfunction of the electron transport chain due to mitochondrial DNA mutations, and oncogenic pathway activation. Oxidative stress may further increase when metastasizing cancer cells enter the blood, a fluid with high levels of oxidants, including oxygen and iron. Most chemotherapeutics elevate intracellular levels of ROS. To maintain favorable redox homeostasis for tumor progression, cancer cells have evolved a complex redox system that strategically adjusts multiple antioxidants, including glutathione, NADPH, antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutases, catalases, glutathione peroxidases, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferases, thioredoxin, peroxiredoxins, sulfiredoxin, glutaredoxin, metallothionein-3, ferritin heavy chain, and dihydrodiol dehydrogenase. In addition, the tumor microenvironment and metabolic reprogramming may help cancer cells to overcome ROS-induced cellular stress.

Given that there is an emerging interest in promoting new strategies for leveraging ROS for therapeutic intervention in cancer, this Special Issue welcomes original research articles, including studies in vitro, animal models, and clinical trials, or comprehensive reviews which will clarify the role of oxidative stress in all types of cancers and help identify new therapeutic targets to counteract tumor arising and progression.

Dr. Jessica Ruzzolini
Dr. Silvia Peppicelli
Guest Editors

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• cancer
• oxidative stress
• ROS
• antioxidants
• combined therapy
• cellular death