Oxidative Stress Markers

Abstract

Oxidative stress is a high-profile element among the risk factors for aging. Although several stress markers have been proposed for the evaluation of oxidative stress, there remains much room for improvement in testing and evaluation methods. In the Current Concept Session “Oxidative Stress Markers” at the of the most recent research works were presented under the titles “Present Status and New Development of Evaluation of Oxidative Stress Markers,” “Oxidative Modification of Proteins and Its Quantitative Detection,” and “Modification/Degeneration of Proteins and Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs)”.
Several markers are available for evaluation of the oxidative stress status. Methods of detecting oxidatively modified substances as new markers by mass spectrography (MS) have been developed. Oxidative modifications of highly reactive cysteine residues in several target proteins such as tyrosine phosphatase and thioredoxin-related proteins control the functions of relevant molecules, and thereby play an important role in signal transmission. Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) gradually accumulate with aging and are involved in the development of diabetic complications, Alzheimer's disease, and arteriosclerosis. Basic studies of the indicators of glycation are also important.
This general article outlines oxidative stress markers with a focus on oxidative modification of proteins and glycation of proteins, both of which have received attention in recent years, and introduces information regarding newly discovered markers for oxidative stress.