Oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage and neurodegenerative diseases

Oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Oxidative stress is characterized by the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, which can induce mitochondrial DNA mutations, damage the mitochondrial respiratory chain, alter membrane permeability, and influence Ca2+ homeostasis and mitochondrial defense systems. All these changes are implicated in the development of these neurodegenerative diseases, mediating or amplifying neuronal dysfunction and triggering neurodegeneration.

A recent article published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 21, 2013), entitled "Oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage and neurodegenerative diseases", summarizes the contribution of oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases and discusses strategies to modify mitochondrial dysfunction that may be attractive therapeutic interventions for the treatment of various neurodegenerative diseases.

More information:
"Oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage and neurodegenerative diseases " by Chunyan Guo1, Li Sun2, Xueping Chen3, Danshen Zhang4 (1 Department of Pharmacy, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075000, Hebei Province, China; 2 Life Science Research Center, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075000, Hebei Province, China; 3 Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba, Manitoba R3E 0J9, Canada; 4 Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang 050018, Hebei Province, China)

Guo CY, Sun L, Chen XP, Zhang DS. Oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage and neurodegenerative diseases. Neural Regen Res. 2013;8(21):2003-2014.

Provided by Neural Regeneration Research