Increased, Reactive oxygen species

Biological State: increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) Biological compartment: an entire cell -- may be cytosolic, may also enter organelles.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are O2- derived molecules that can be both free radicals (e.g. superoxide, hydroxyl, peroxyl, alcoxyl) and non-radicals (hypochlorous acid, ozone and singlet oxygen) (Bedard and Krause 2007; Ozcan and Ogun 2015). ROS production occurs naturally in all kinds of tissues inside various cellular compartments, such as mitochondria and peroxisomes (Drew and Leeuwenburgh 2002; Ozcan and Ogun 2015). Furthermore, these molecules have an important function in the regulation of several biological processes – they might act as antimicrobial agents or triggers of animal gamete activation and capacitation (Goud et al. 2008; Parrish 2010; Bisht et al. 2017).  However, in environmental stress situations (exposure to radiation, chemicals, high temperatures) these molecules have its levels drastically increased, and overly interact with macromolecules, namely nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, causing cell and tissue damage (Brieger et al. 2012; Ozcan and Ogun 2015). 

Balancing ROS levels at the cellular and tissue level is an important part of many biological processes. Disbalance, mainly an increase in ROS levels, can cause cell dysfunction and irreversible cell damage.

ROS are produced from both exogenous stressors and normal endogenous cellular processes, such as the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC). Inhibition of the ETC can result in the accumulation of ROS. Exposure to chemicals, heavy metal ions, or ionizing radiation can also result in increased production of ROS. Chemicals and heavy metal ions can deplete cellular antioxidants reducing the cell’s ability to control cellular ROS and resulting in the accumulation of ROS. Cellular antioxidants include glutathione (GSH), protein sulfhydryl groups, superoxide dismutase (SOD).

ROS are radicals, ions, or molecules that have a single unpaired electron in their outermost shell of electrons, which can be categorized into two groups: free oxygen radicals and non-radical ROS [Liou et al., 2010].

<Free oxygen radicals>

<Non-radical ROS>

Potential sources of ROS include NADPH oxidase, xanthine oxidase, mitochondria, nitric oxide synthase, cytochrome P450, lipoxygenase/cyclooxygenase, and monoamine oxidase [Granger et al., 2015]. ROS are generated through NADPH oxidases consisting of p47phox and p67phox. ROS are generated through xanthine oxidase activation in sepsis [Ramos et al., 2018]. Arsenic produces ROS [Zhang et al., 2011]. Mitochondria-targeted paraquat and metformin mediate ROS production [Chowdhury et al., 2020]. ROS are generated by bleomycin [Lu et al., 2010]. Radiation induces dose-dependent ROS production [Ji et al., 2019].

ROS are generated in the course of cellular respiration, metabolism, cell signaling, and inflammation [Dickinson and Chang 2011; Egea et al. 2017]. Hydrogen peroxide is also made by the endoplasmic reticulum in the course of protein folding. Nitric oxide (NO) is produced at the highest levels by nitric oxide synthase in endothelial cells and phagocytes. NO production is one of the main mechanisms by which phagocytes kill bacteria [Wang et al., 2017]. The other species are produced by reactions with superoxide or peroxide, or by other free radicals or enzymes.

ROS activity is principally local. Most ROS have short half-lives, ranging from nano- to milliseconds, so diffusion is limited, while reactive nitrogen species (RNS) nitric oxide or peroxynitrite can survive long enough to diffuse across membranes [Calcerrada et al. 2011]. Consequently, local concentrations of ROS are much higher than average cellular concentrations, and signaling is typically controlled by colocalization with redox buffers [Dickinson and Chang 2011; Egea et al. 2017].

Although their existence is limited temporally and spatially, ROS interact with other ROS or with other nearby molecules to produce more ROS and participate in a feedback loop to amplify the ROS signal, which can increase RNS. Both ROS and RNS also move into neighboring cells, and ROS can increase intracellular ROS signaling in neighboring cells [Egea et al. 2017].

Photocolorimetric assays (Sharma et al. 2017; Griendling et al. 2016) or through commercial kits purchased from specialized companies.

Yuan, Yan, et al., (2013) described ROS monitoring by using H₂-DCF-DA, a redox-sensitive fluorescent dye. Briefly, the harvested cells were incubated with H₂-DCF-DA (50 µmol/L final concentration) for 30 min in the dark at 37°C. After treatment, cells were immediately washed twice, re-suspended in PBS, and analyzed on a BD-FACS Aria flow cytometry. ROS generation was based on fluorescent intensity which was recorded by excitation at 504 nm and emission at 529 nm.

Lipid peroxidation (LPO) can be measured as an indicator of oxidative stress damage Yen, Cheng Chien, et al., (2013).

Chattopadhyay, Sukumar, et al. (2002) assayed the generation of free radicals within the cells and their extracellular release in the medium by addition of yellow NBT salt solution (Park et al., 1968). Extracellular release of ROS converted NBT to a purple colored formazan. The cells were incubated with 100 ml of 1 mg/ml NBT solution for 1 h at 37 °C and the product formed was assayed at 550 nm in an Anthos 2001 plate reader. The observations of the ‘cell-free system’ were confirmed by cytological examination of parallel set of explants stained with chromogenic reactions for NO and ROS.

ROS is a normal constituent found in all organisms, lifestages, and sexes.

B.H. Park, S.M. Fikrig, E.M. Smithwick Infection and nitroblue tetrazolium reduction by neutrophils: a diagnostic aid Lancet, 2 (1968), pp. 532-534

Bedard, Karen, and Karl-Heinz Krause. 2007. “The NOX Family of ROS-Generating NADPH Oxidases: Physiology and Pathophysiology.” Physiological Reviews 87 (1): 245–313.

Bisht, Shilpa, Muneeb Faiq, Madhuri Tolahunase, and Rima Dada. 2017. “Oxidative Stress and Male Infertility.” Nature Reviews. Urology 14 (8): 470–85.

Brieger, K., S. Schiavone, F. J. Miller Jr, and K-H Krause. 2012. “Reactive Oxygen Species: From Health to Disease.” Swiss Medical Weekly 142 (August): w13659.

Chattopadhyay, Sukumar, et al. "Apoptosis and necrosis in developing brain cells due to arsenic toxicity and protection with antioxidants." Toxicology letters 136.1 (2002): 65-76.

Drew, Barry, and Christiaan Leeuwenburgh. 2002. “Aging and the Role of Reactive Nitrogen Species.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 959 (April): 66–81.

Goud, Anuradha P., Pravin T. Goud, Michael P. Diamond, Bernard Gonik, and Husam M. Abu-Soud. 2008. “Reactive Oxygen Species and Oocyte Aging: Role of Superoxide, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Hypochlorous Acid.” Free Radical Biology & Medicine 44 (7): 1295–1304.

Griendling, Kathy K., Rhian M. Touyz, Jay L. Zweier, Sergey Dikalov, William Chilian, Yeong-Renn Chen, David G. Harrison, Aruni Bhatnagar, and American Heart Association Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences. 2016. “Measurement of Reactive Oxygen Species, Reactive Nitrogen Species, and Redox-Dependent Signaling in the Cardiovascular System: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.” Circulation Research 119 (5): e39–75.

Ozcan, Ayla, and Metin Ogun. 2015. “Biochemistry of Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species.” In Basic Principles and Clinical Significance of Oxidative Stress, edited by Sivakumar Joghi Thatha Gowder. Rijeka: IntechOpen.

Parrish, A. R. 2010. “2.27 - Hypoxia/Ischemia Signaling.” In Comprehensive Toxicology (Second Edition), edited by Charlene A. McQueen, 529–42. Oxford: Elsevier.

Sharma, Gunjan, Nishant Kumar Rana, Priya Singh, Pradeep Dubey, Daya Shankar Pandey, and Biplob Koch. 2017. “p53 Dependent Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Delay Induced by Heteroleptic Complexes in Human Cervical Cancer Cells.” Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & Pharmacotherapie 88 (April): 218–31.

Yen, Cheng Chien, et al. "Inorganic arsenic causes cell apoptosis in mouse cerebrum through an oxidative stress-regulated signaling pathway." Archives of toxicology 85 (2011): 565-575.

Yuan, Yan, et al. "Cadmium-induced apoptosis in primary rat cerebral cortical neurons culture is mediated by a calcium signaling pathway." PloS one 8.5 (2013): e64330.