| Popis: |
Introduction: Cancer is a multifactorial disease characterized by the uncontrolled and disperse growth of abnormal cells. If this growth and its dispersion are not controlled at the appropriate time, it could result in metastasis, which increases the risk of death associated to this disease. In the last years, the oxidative stress had become a therapeutic target against this disease, due to its important role in the carcinogenesis process that has been evidenced and of there that the antioxidants and pro-oxidants are potential antitumor agents that could be administered alone or as co-adjuvants in the chemotherapies and radiotherapies. Objective: To review the implication of oxidative stress in the DNA damages and in the carcinogenesis process. Methods: Thematic review. An informatic search was carried out in English and Spanish, in the databases ScienceDirect and Scielo between the years 2009 and 2013. Studies in humans and animals were included. 150 summaries were obtained, 50 summaries were considered as pertinent, and of transcendence and contribution. All were acquired in full text, reviewed and cited lengthways of the present thematic review. Results: The oxidative stress occurs as an imbalance between the production of reactive species and the antioxidant system that neutralizes them. The reactive species had been implied in the carcinogenesis process and due to they could mediate the activation of cellular proliferation ways and to inhibit the apoptosis, also it has been demonstrated that the oxidative damage to the DNA carries to mutations favoring this process. Conclusions: The oxidative stress could be an important cellular event implied in the carcinogenesis, therefore the use of antioxidant and pro-oxidant agents as potent antitumor agents constitutes an alternative for the anticancer therapy, already be alone or as co-adjuvant. Although, more studies are required to allow validating the obtained results. Rev.cienc.biomed. 2015;6(1):107-117 KEYWORDS Cancer; Oxidative stress; Antioxidants. |
