World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF REDOX SYSTEM WITH AN EMPHASIS ON DISEASE PROTECTION AND HEALTH PROMOTION BY MEANS OF NATURAL ANTIOXIDANT PRODUCTS

Eiichi Akaho*

ABSTRACT

Our body gradually deteriorates due to various ailments and detrimental conditions. One of them is oxidative stress (OS) which will be caused by an excessive amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The redox homeostasis wields an equivalent balance between reactive oxygen and antioxidant. The aim of this review is a comprehensive understanding of redox and antioxidant mechanism and search for strategy to combat various disease and to promote the healthy life through the intake of natural antioxidants products. As far as the structures of antioxidants are concerned a considerable number of antioxidants contains flavonoid skeleton which is polyphenol, the second, unsaturated hydrocarbons. and the third, organic acids. This structure viewpoint assists in developing and synthesizing innovative antioxidant derivatives and/or novel analogs. Electron tunneling between several redox pairs in the establishment of a protonmotive force (PMF) in mitochondria, which contain respiratory chain of five complexes, Complex I to V, cause oxidative phosphorylation. The formation of reactive oxygen species, which is the by-product of electron transfer in mitochondria, is intertwined in the oxidative phosphorylation promoting the production of complex V and adenosine triphosphate ( ATP). Cancer is speculated to be caused by the oxidative stress together with the imbalance between ROS and antioxidants. The accumulation of ROS created by metabolic disturbances and signaling aberrations can promote carcinogenesis through gene mutations and pro-oncogenic signaling activation. The disturbance of redox homeostasis leads to intense pathophysiological consequences in cells which regulate the balance between the ROS and antioxidants. To accommodate oxidative stress, cells modify metabolic and genetic reprogramming, thereby leading to increased production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), glutathione, superoxide dismutase and thioredoxins, returning ROS to the homeostatic level. Therefore, nonenzymatic antioxidants can be utilized for cancer therapy along with enzymatic antioxidants. Natural antioxidants in general have strong antioxidant activity with little toxicity and side effects. Taking this background into consideration antioxidants from natural sources along with supplemental sources can present a good application prospect in not only the prevention and/or treatment of various diseases but also the promotion of healthy life.

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