title: Reactive oxygen species in organ-specific autoimmunity.
abstract: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been extensively studied in the induction of inflammation and tissue damage, especially as it relates to aging. In more recent years, ROS have been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Here, ROS accumulation leads to apoptosis and autoantigen structural changes that result in novel specificities. ROS have been implicated not only in the initiation of the autoimmune response but also in its amplification and spreading to novel epitopes, through the unmasking of cryptic determinants. This review will examine the contribution of ROS to the pathogenesis of four organ specific autoimmune diseases (Hashimoto thyroiditis, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, and vitiligo), and compare it to that of a better characterized systemic autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis). It will also discuss tobacco smoking as an environmental factor endowed with both pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant properties, thus capable of differentially modulating the autoimmune response.
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunology, Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.|Department of Medicine, G. D'Annunzio University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Dalmazi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hirshberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lyle
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Joudeh B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Freij
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunology, Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. pcat@jhmi.edu.|Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. pcat@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Patrizio
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6768-6308
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caturegli
keywords: Autoimmunity; Hashimoto thyroiditis; Monoamine oxidase (MAO); Oxidative stress; Reactive oxygen species (ROS); Smoking