Advances in Host-Derived Cytotoxic Agents

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 1136

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
Interests: cell and tissue degradation; redox homeostasis; inflammatory response; termination of inflammation; disease progression; heme peroxidases
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During inflammatory response, several host-derived cytotoxic agents contribute to the inactivation of pathogens, recruitment and activation of immune cells, removal of damaged biological material, and de novo synthesis of macromolecules. Important cytotoxic agents are small reactive species, transition metal ions, oxidized heme proteins and free heme, serine proteases, matrix metalloproteases, and pro-inflammatory peptides. In order to prevent cytotoxic effects on healthy cells and tissues, these cytotoxic agents are counterbalanced by numerous protective principles, which are able to inactivate their destructive activities. Any disturbances in the balance between cytotoxic agents and protective mechanisms are associated with the development of chronic inflammatory states and disease progression. Long-lasting and severe inflammatory states can result in damage to unperturbed cells due to the decline, exhaustion, or inactivation of selected antagonizing principles. The overexpression of protective mechanisms markedly diminishes the efficiency of radio- and chemotherapeutic approaches to kill tumor cells.

In this Special Issue, original papers and reviews are highly welcome describing the interplay between host-derived cytotoxic agents and antagonizing principles under pathophysiological conditions. Please do not hesitate to contact me or the Editorial Office if you have any questions.

Thank you very much in advance.

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Arnhold
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • cytotoxic agents
  • antagonizing principles
  • inflammation
  • disease progression

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

33 pages, 1662 KiB  
Review
Oxidant-Based Cytotoxic Agents During Aging: From Disturbed Energy Metabolism to Chronic Inflammation and Disease Progression
by Jürgen Arnhold
Biomolecules 2025, 15(4), 547; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15040547 - 9 Apr 2025
Viewed by 808
Abstract
In humans, aging is an inevitable consequence of diminished growth processes after reaching maturity. The high order of biomolecules in cells and tissues is continuously disturbed by numerous physical and chemical destructive impacts. Host-derived oxidant-based cytotoxic agents (reactive species, transition free metal ions, [...] Read more.
In humans, aging is an inevitable consequence of diminished growth processes after reaching maturity. The high order of biomolecules in cells and tissues is continuously disturbed by numerous physical and chemical destructive impacts. Host-derived oxidant-based cytotoxic agents (reactive species, transition free metal ions, and free heme) contribute considerably to this damage. These agents are under the control of immediately acting antagonizing principles, which are important to ensure cell and tissue homeostasis. In this review, I apply the concept of host-derived cytotoxic agents and their interplay with antagonizing principles to the aging process. During aging, energy metabolism and the supply of tissues with dioxygen and nutrients are increasingly disturbed. In addition, a chronic inflammatory state develops, a condition known as inflammaging. The balance between oxidant-based cytotoxic agents and protective mechanisms is analyzed depending on age-based physiological alterations in ATP production. Disturbances in this balance are associated with the development of age-related diseases and comorbidities. An enhanced production of reactive species from dysfunctional mitochondria, alterations in cellular redox homeostasis, and adaptations to hypoxia are highlighted. Examples of how disturbances between oxidant-based cytotoxic agents and antagonizing principles contribute to the pathogenesis of diseases in persons of advanced age are given. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Host-Derived Cytotoxic Agents)
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