Editorial
Current Molecular Medicine, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 6
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EDITORIAL Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Cancer: From Chemistry, Biology to Clinical Applications and Personalized Therapy The philosophy of this Special Issue was based on the fact that biomarkers change the way in which we diagnose, classify and monitor disease and/or therapy progression. In addition, biomarkers provide new insights into mechanisms of disease as well as new therapeutic targets like in the case of elevated oxidative stress and cancer development. It is therefore of outmost importance to present the current state of oxidative stress-based (and others) biomarker development and their use to human carcinogenesis, prognosis and treatment. In addition, knowledge of the redox status or other key molecular markers can lead to the development of therapeutic strategies by the use, for example, of radiosensitizers and personalized therapy especially in the case of solid tumors where hypoxia and anoxia limit the effectiveness of current radio- or chemotherapies. The interaction of human cells or tissues with sources of oxidative stress (intra- or extracellular) like byproducts of endogenous metabolism and ionizing radiations can result in a variety of DNA lesions. This pool of DNA lesions usually consists of oxidized purines and pyrimidines often called as apurinic/apyrimidinic (abasic) DNA sites, single stranded (SSBs) and double stranded (DSBs) DNA breaks. These lesions may appear in an isolated or complex (clustered) synthesis of several damage points within 1-15 base pairs. Although the basic chemistry for the induction of DNA damage by reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) has been known for decades new insights and new lesions emerge every year. In addition, new repair pathways involved in the processing of these lesions in vivo or in vitro are discovered on a regular basis suggesting the overlap and cooperation between for example base excision repair (BER) and DSB repair pathways. Knowledge of the chemistry behind induction of DNA damage and repair mechanisms is considered crucial not only for the understanding of the biological importance of DNA damage but also for clinical applications. In this Special Issue, we have compiled a significant number of concise reviews and original research articles, by top and well-established experts in their fields. The articles present with unique originality the current status of knowledge and explore new advances in the chemical or molecular biological pathways related to the induction of oxidatively-induced DNA damage and shed light to the potential applications of this knowledge towards the improvement of life and treatment of pathophysiological conditions like cancer. Specifically, we investigate the chemical and biological components regarding oxidative stress induction, for example: (1) Dr. Jean-Luc Ravanat and colleagues review the main methodologies that are currently available for monitoring single and complex oxidatively generated damage to cellular DNA and use of oxidatively-generated DNA lesions as potential biomarkers of in vivo oxidative stress; (2) Dr. Alex Georgakilas’s group provides new insights into the interplay between inflammation and oxidative stress in carcinogenesis, (3) Dr. Rodrigo Franco and colleagues in their review discuss biomarkers of protein oxidation in human disease while (4) Drs. Mihalis Panagiotidis and Aglaia Pappa discuss the great potential of oxidative stress based-biomarkers in oral carcinogenesis and how far we have really gone? Towards the development of reliable tools for the measurement of DNA damage markers, (5) Dr. Vassilis Gorgoulis and colleagues investigate thoroughly the prospect of the tumor suppressor gene ARF as a sensor of oxidative stress while (6) Dr. Andreas Luch’s group discuss the potential biomonitoring of oxidative stress biomarkers in the lipidome and if there is a roadmap for “human inspection”? To the same direction, (7) Dr. Peter Møller’s group review the oxidative stress generated damage to DNA by gastrointestinal exposure to insoluble particles. In addition, in this Special Issue, we discuss new advances in the potential application of oxidative stressrelated biomarkers in cancer detection and treatment. Specifically, (8) Dr. Miguel Abal and colleagues discuss the association of tumor invasion and oxidative stress and the potential outcome for reliable biomarkers and therapeutic strategies, (9) Drs. Jennifer Dickey and Ashutosh Rao critically review current and proposed biomarkers of anthracycline cardiotoxicity in cancer and emerging opportunities in oxidative damage and autophagy, (10) Dr. Phuoc Tran and colleagues present recent insights into the use of tissue biomarkers for prostate cancer radiation therapy and finally (11) Dr. Eddy Yang’s group discuss thoroughly the utilization of new biomarkers to assess the targeting of DNA repair pathways and to augment tumor response to therapy. The critical goals of this Special Issue was to first, indentify and bring up to the scientific community new advances on the chemistry, detection of oxidatively-induced DNA lesions and explore the new roadmaps to using this knowledge towards the development of accurate and reliable biomarkers for tumor diagnosis and personalized therapy. Concluding, we would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to all authors contributing their expertise to this Special Issue of Current Molecular Medicine entitled “Biomarkers of oxidative stress and cancer. From chemistry, biology to clinical applications and personalized therapy”. Last, but certainly not least, we would like to sincerely thank Ms. Samina Khan (Coordinating Editor for Special Issues) for the opportunity she has given me as well as for her guidance and support towards the completion of this Special Issue.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT None.
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Current Molecular Medicine, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 6
Editorial
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks to the Biology Department, East Carolina University (AG) and Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Ioannina (MP) for their financial support.
Alexandros Georgakilas Associate Professor DNA Damage and Repair Laboratory Biology Department, East Carolina University Greenville NC 27858, USA Tel: +1-252-328-5446 office, 737-2770 Lab Fax: +1-252-328-4178 Email:
[email protected]
Mihalis Panayiotidis Assistant Professor Department of Pathology University of Ioannina Medical School University Campus Ioannina, 45110 Greece Tel: +30-(25510)-35689 office, Fax: +30-(25510)-35689 E-mail:
[email protected]
