PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - GRIGORIA-KALLIOPI MARIOLI-SAPSAKOU
AU  - MALAMATI KOURTI
TI  - Targeting Production of Reactive Oxygen Species as an Anticancer Strategy
AID  - 10.21873/anticanres.15408
DP  - 2021 Dec 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 5881--5902
VI  - 41
IP  - 12
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/41/12/5881.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/41/12/5881.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2021 Dec 01; 41
AB  - Cancer remains the second leading cause of death worldwide. Research is currently focused on finding novel anticancer therapies and elucidating their mechanisms of action. Cellular redox balance is a promising target for new therapies, as cancer cells already have elevated levels of oxidizing agents due to hypermetabolism and genetic instability. Although free radicals are actively involved in vital cellular signaling pathways, they have also been implicated in certain diseases, including cancer. The aim of this review was to highlight the involvement of oxidative stress in the mechanism of action of anticancer agents. The difference in cellular redox balance between normal and cancer cells is discussed as a potential anticancer target, along with various examples of approved or experimental drugs that may alter the redox state. These drugs are presented in relation to their pro-oxidant or antioxidant mechanisms, with the consequent goal of underscoring the importance of such mechanisms in the overall efficacy of anticancer drugs.