Cancer cells and oxidative stress

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation are a constant element of a cell's oxygen metabolism. They are its normal products and in physiological concentrations they play important roles in a variety of cell processes. Disturbances in the balance between ROS formation and the efficiency of antioxidant mechanisms lead to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress causes damage to important macromolecules, such as DNA, proteins, and lipids. Growing evidence indicates the participation of ROS in the cancerous transformation of cells. Oxidative stress was also found in cancer cells, but the mechanisms responsible for its induction have not been definitively explained. It is known that they include inflammation and cytokine action, oncogenic signals, intensive metabolism related to constant proliferation, mutations in mitochondrial DNA, and malfunction in the respiratory chain. A high level of ROS in cancer cells may lead to a variety of biological responses, such as cell adaptation, increased proliferation rate, formation of DNA mutations and genetic instability, and resistance to some drugs used in anticancer therapy. Therefore, oxidative stress in cancer cells promotes tumor development, but it can also be useful in the search for new therapeutic strategies of cancer treatment.