Antioxidative defence mechanisms of pancreatic β-cells are particularly weak and can be overwhelmed by redox imbalance arising from overproduction of reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species. The consequences of this redox imbalance are lipid peroxidation, oxidation of proteins, DNA damage and interference of reactive species with signal transduction pathways, which contribute significantly to β-cell dysfunction and death in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Reactive oxygen species, superoxide radicals (O2•−), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and, in a final iron-catalysed reaction step, the most reactive and toxic hydroxyl radicals (OH•) are produced during both pro-inflammatory cytokine-mediated β-cell attack in Type 1 diabetes and glucolipotoxicity-mediated β-cell dysfunction in Type 2 diabetes. In combination with NO•, which is toxic in itself, as well as through its reaction with the O2•− and subsequent formation of peroxynitrite, reactive species play a central role in β-cell death during the deterioration of glucose tolerance in the development of diabetes.
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Conference Article|
May 21 2008
Oxidative stress: the vulnerable β-cell
Sigurd Lenzen
Sigurd Lenzen
1
1Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
1Correspondence should be addressed at Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, 30623 Hannover, Germany.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
November 13 2007
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2008 Biochemical Society
2008
Biochem Soc Trans (2008) 36 (3): 343–347.
Article history
Received:
November 13 2007
Citation
Sigurd Lenzen; Oxidative stress: the vulnerable β-cell. Biochem Soc Trans 1 June 2008; 36 (3): 343–347. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0360343
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