Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress: Implication in Muscle Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) represent fundamental key players in a large variety of physiological mechanisms. However, despite the development of a composite antioxidant system, their excessive levels can establish oxidative stress, a condition which is responsible for the initiation and progression of tissue/organ injury. The role of oxidative stress in muscle homeostasis is quite intricate and far to be elucidated. Within physiological levels ROS exert essential actions in muscle homeostasis by regulating excitation-contraction coupling, growth, proliferation, differentiation and muscle adaptation. The underlying mechanisms are represented by ROS interactions with redox-sensitive transcription factors, leading to increased gene expression of antioxidant enzymes, cytoprotective proteins and other enzymes involved in muscle specific metabolic functions.

Nevertheless, an uncontrolled ROS accumulation displays many deleterious effects such as a reduction in force generation and an increase in muscle atrophy. In particular, excessive ROS levels can activate distinct pathogenic pathways thus triggering pathological conditions and accelerating aging.

At muscular level, several studies suggested that transiently increased ROS levels, which might be consequent to muscle activity, on one hand can enhance body’s antioxidant defense systems thus reflecting a potentially health promoting process, on the other hand, can be responsible for the onset of oxidative stress whose pathological consequences could be counterbalanced by redox balancing treatments. Additional studies are therefore necessary to highlight whether the manipulation of redox balance can represent a valuable tool in the design of therapeutic strategies for muscle diseases. In this context it is mandatory to determine the utility of antioxidant supplementation considering fundamental aspects such as type, dose and duration of antioxidant supplementation.

On these bases, we invite you to submit your latest research findings or a review article to this Special Issue, which will be focused on antioxidants and oxidative stress in muscle diseases. Both in vitro and in vivo studies relating to these topics will be suitable for the current issue. We look forward to your contribution.

Dr. Claudia Fiorillo
Dr. Matteo Becatti
Guest Editors

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• oxidative stress
• antioxidants
• muscle
• muscle disease
• redox markers
• redox signaling lipid peroxidation