Oxidative Stress and Human Disease: a Review

The human body needs both types of oxidants (free radicals) and antioxidants for normal metabolism, signal transduction mechanism, and the order of cellular activity. Free radicals can be either harmful or helpful to the body, in fact, they play a dual role as both toxic and beneficial compounds. The human body has the natural antioxidant defense mechanism to counteract the free radicals. A balance between free radicals and antioxidants is necessary for proper physiological function Oxidative stress is a phenomenon that reflects an imbalance between the production of free radicals and antioxidants.

This article is a review one. The related investigations were searched from articles and reliably published texts. Different databases were explored based on appropriate keywords.

Oxidative stress can seriously alter the cell membranes and other structures such as proteins, lipids, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and carbohydrates. Oxidative stress is one of the most effective factors in the incidence of many diseases. The present review provides a brief overview of oxidative stress-mediated cellular damages and role of oxidative stress in the connection with human diseases such as Cardiovascular disease, Stroke, Diabetes, Diabetic Nephropathy, Parkinson, Huntington, Alzheimer, Autism, Cancer and other diseases like Aging.

This article reviews on the factors that cause oxidative stress in the human body and the diseases that are associated with it.