University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Redox Rep. 2013;18(6):245-52. doi: 10.1179/1351000213Y.0000000059.
Mammalian cells produce reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNOS) in response to an oxidative environment. Powerful antioxidant mechanisms have been developed in order to avoid oxidative stress by contributing to the maintenance of redox homeostasis. Traditionally, accumulation of ROS/RNOS is considered deleterious for cells as it can lead to loss of cellular function, aging, and cell death. Consequently, ROS/RNOS imbalance has been implicated in the etiology and/or progression of numerous pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, and cancer. An interesting concept that has emerged more recently is that not only have cells developed efficient systems to cope with ROS/RNOS accumulation but they have also learned to profit of them under certain circumstances. This notion is supported by data showing that ROS/RNOS can act as signaling molecules affecting the function and activity of a multiplicity of protein kinases and phosphatases controlling cellular homeostasis. This review does not provide an exhaustive overview of molecular mechanisms linked to ROS/RNOS generation and processing but includes relevant examples highlighting the dichotomic nature of these small molecules and the multitude of effects elicited by their accumulation. This aspect of ROS/RNOS ought to be taken into account particularly in novel therapeutic setups that aim to achieve high efficiency and minimal or no side effects.
哺乳动物细胞会产生活性氧和活性氮物种（ROS/RNOS）来应对氧化环境。为了避免氧化应激，细胞已经开发出了强大的抗氧化机制，以维持氧化还原平衡。传统上，ROS/RNOS 的积累被认为对细胞是有害的，因为它会导致细胞功能丧失、衰老和细胞死亡。因此，ROS/RNOS 失衡与许多疾病的病因和/或进展有关，如心血管疾病、炎症和癌症。最近出现的一个有趣的概念是，细胞不仅开发了有效的系统来应对 ROS/RNOS 的积累，而且在某些情况下还学会了利用它们。这一观点得到了数据的支持，这些数据表明 ROS/RNOS 可以作为信号分子，影响控制细胞内稳态的多种蛋白激酶和磷酸酶的功能和活性。本文并没有对与 ROS/RNOS 的产生和处理相关的分子机制进行详尽的综述，而是包括了相关的例子，突出了这些小分子的二分性质以及它们积累所引发的多种效应。在旨在实现高效率和最小或无副作用的新型治疗方案中，应该特别考虑到 ROS/RNOS 的这一方面。
