Roles of oxidative stress and redox regulation in atherosclerosis.
Oxidative stress is believed to be a cause of aging and cardiovascular disorders. In response to inflam-mation or endothelial cell injury, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is enhanced in vascular cells. These changes contribute to the initiation of atherosclerosis. Vascular cells possess anti-oxidant systems to protect against oxidative stress, in addition to the redox system. The redox status of pro-tein thiols is important for cellular functions. The Akt signaling pathway exerts effects on survival and apoptosis, and is regulated by the glutathione (GSH)/glutaredoxin (GRX)-dependent redox sys-tem. Sex hormones such as estrogens protect against oxidative stress by protecting the Akt signaling pathway but the physiological role of the extracellular GSH/GRX system has not been clarified, although found an increase in the levels of S-glutathionylated serum proteins in patients with athero-sclerosis obliterans. The results suggested that impaired serum redox potential is a marker of the development vascular dysfunction and estrogen has a possible role in the prevention of atherosclerosis.
Kondo
Takahito
T
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Disease, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan. kondo@net.nagasaki-u.ac.jp
Hirose
Makoto
M
Kageyama
Kan
K
D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress