title: Intracellular redox state as target for anti-influenza therapy: are antioxidants always effective?
abstract: Influenza virus infections represent a big issue for public health since effective treatments are still lacking. In particular, the emergence of strains resistant to drugs limits the effectiveness of anti-influenza agents. For this reason, many efforts have been dedicated to the identification of new therapeutic strategies aimed at targeting the virus-host cell interactions. Oxidative stress is a characteristic of some viral infections including influenza. Because antioxidants defend cells from damage caused by reactive oxygen species induced by different stimuli including pathogens, they represent interesting molecules to fight infectious diseases. However, most of the available studies have found that these would-be panaceas could actually exacerbate the diseases they claim to prevent, and have thus revealed "the dark side" of these molecules. This review article discusses the latest opportunities and drawbacks of the antioxidants used in anti-influenza therapy and new perspectives.
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sgarbanti
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Amatore
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Celestino
authors.forename: Maria Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Marcocci
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fraternale
authors.forename: Maria Rosa
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ciriolo
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Magnani
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saladino
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garaci
authors.forename: Anna Teresa
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Palamara
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. annateresa.palamara@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nencioni
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D000998:Antiviral Agents