Targeting ROS for Cancer Therapy

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) act as a second messenger in cell signaling and participate in a variety of biological processes in normal cells. Under normal physiological conditions, ROS are produced and then eliminated by ROS scavenging system to maintain cellular redox balance. Levels of ROS could change with endogenous or exogenous reasons, leading to DNA damage, oxidative stress and abnormal cell signaling. Reduction of ROS could lead to interruption of cell signaling, thus influence the cellular homeostasis. Cancer cell metabolism that often appear in the redox imbalance and oxidative stress, in the situation, antioxidant mechanism needs to balance this pressure, which has been the symbol of tumorigenesis [