Oxidative Stress and

Restoring Balance
FRA2112
Dr INTHIRA
Kolej Perdana
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Learning outcome

At the end of this lecture, student should be able:

 interpret the relation between oxidative stress and cancer.

 Explains reasons of the oxidative stress.

 List the cancer formation mechanisms due to oxidative stress.

 Explain oxidative stress and identify diseases associated with oxidative stress
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WHAT IS OXIDATIVE STRESS?

• Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance

between the production of reactive oxygen and
a biological system's ability to readily detoxify
the reactive intermediates or easily repair the
resulting damage.

• Also it is the excess formation or insufficient

removal of highly reactive molecules such as
reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive
nitrogen species (RNS).
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WHAT IS OXIDATIVE STRESS?

OXIDANTS
Oxidants are normally formed as the products of aerobic
metabolism that can be produced at elevated rate under
pathophysiological conditions.
• Superoxide- this lacks to penetrate lipid
membrane.

• Hydrogen peroxide- It has a signaling role.

• Hydroxyl radical - most reactive with

biomolecules.
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WHAT IS OXIDATIVE STRESS?

FAILURE TO REPAIR OXIDATIVE

DAMAGE

The bio-molecular damage caused by

attack of ROS upon the constituents of
living organisms, when such damage
is not repaired it imposes more
stress on the organism, and coping
becomes very difficult.
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OXIDATIVE STRESS AT MOLECULAR LEVEL
At molecular levels O2, OH- and H2O2 can react with
cellular targets, such as proteins and nucleic acids,

• O2 has a moderate oxidizing potential and attack

compounds such as ascorbate.

• H2O2 can directly oxidize protein cysteinyl residues,

thus inactivating enzymes.

• OH- is a strong oxidant agent that can attack most

organic compounds and can cause strand breaks
and a wide spectrum of base modifications in
DNA, affecting cell permeability and osmoregulation.
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Cell damage is
induced by reactive
oxygen species
(ROS). ROS are
either free radicals,
reactive anions
containing oxygen
atoms, or molecules
containing oxygen
atoms that can either
produce free radicals
or are chemically
activated by them.
 Conditions linked to oxidative stress
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 Oxidative stress may play a role in the development of a range of

conditions, including:
• cancer
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• diabetes
• cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis,
and stroke
• inflammatory disorders
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• asthma
• male infertility
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 Lifestyle and dietary measures that may help reduce oxidative stress in the body include:

• eating a balanced, healthful diet rich in fruits and vegetables

• limiting intake of processed foods, particularly those high in sugars and fats

• exercising regularly

• reducing stress

• avoiding or reducing exposure to pollution and harsh chemicals

 Quiz smoking
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QUESTIONS

 How do you restore the antioxidants?

 What is ROS and RNS?
 Give examples of ROS and RNS.
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REFERENCES

Berlett, B. S., and E. R. Stadtman. 1997. “Protein oxidation in aging, disease, and oxidative
stress”. J. Biol. Chem. 272:20,313–6.

Pomposiello, P. J., and B. Demple. 2000. “Identification of SoxS-regulated genes in Salmonella

enterica serovar Typhimurium”. J. Bacteriol. 182:23–9.