Oxidative Stress in Inflammatory Diseases

Over the last decades, a large body of evidence has emerged supporting the role of oxidative stress (OS) in the pathogenesis of a variety of inflammatory diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Reactive species (RS) function as intracellular messengers mediating the pathological processes during these diseases and play an important role in inflammation, apoptosis, and necrosis. Increased RS levels have a substantial impact on cells, either leading to successful repair events or defective cellular functions. Therefore, a better understanding of the role of RS-mediated signaling in inflammatory diseases is necessary for developing therapeutic tools for their management. This chapter deals with the general and detailed aspects of OS and the role of this process in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. It shows how oxidative damage and inflammation trigger these diseases and how compromised immunity then leads to the progression of tissue injury.