Oxidative Eustress and Distress: Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species in Health and Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Mitochondria are called the “powerhouses of the cell” for a good reason. Mitochondria use redox reactions to extract electrons from nutrients to produce large quantities of ATP, the universal energy currency. Electron transfer reactions in mitochondria are not perfectly coupled to ATP production. At various points in several metabolic and electron transferring pathways, electrons can spin off and prematurely react with molecular oxygen (O₂) to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). These “by-products” of ATP production can be toxic in large quantities, induce oxidative stress and cell damage. Lower quantities, however, can be beneficial and are involved in many signaling pathways. This dichotomy has led to the development of new terms that extend off the original definition for oxidative stress to account for the positive and negative effects of ROS. These terms are oxidative “eustress”, for a positive oxidative event, versus “distress”, which can be toxic. The present Special Issue focuses on mitochondrial bioenergetics in eustress signaling and distress and their roles in health and disease.

Dr. Ryan Mailloux
Guest Editor

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