Oxidative Stress in Cancers
A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 905
Special Issue Editors
Interests: cancer; oxidative stress; drug resistance; nutraceutic; combined therapies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: tumor microenvironment; melanoma progression; cancer stem cells; tumor acidosis; tumor metabolism; drug resistance; nutraceutic
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
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
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
- cancer
- oxidative stress
- ROS
- antioxidants
- combined therapy
- cellular death
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
