Oxidative stress and antioxidants in health and disease

The increase in the formation of reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species of endogenous or exogenous origin causes oxidative stress due to pro-oxidant and antioxidant imbalance that causes cellular damage in metabolism. This can increase inflammation of cells, apoptosis and necrosis, damage to DNA base damage, DNA and protein cross-links, lipid membrane peroxidation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Antioxidants can be described as a system that protects biomolecules and the organism against the harmful effects of free radicals, reduces or repairs the damage done by reactive oxygen species (ROS) to the target molecule, and this is called antioxidant defense. It is known that the mechanisms caused by the increase in ROS resulting from oxidative stress are positively related to the pathology of many diseases such as cancer, metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, malaria, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, neurodegenerative diseases and preeclampsia.