Stress oxydant et maladies auto-immunes.

Oxygen, an essential molecule for aerobic life, can be the cause of oxidative stress, resulting from a breakdown of the equilibrium between pro-oxidant systems (mitochondrial respiratory chain, ionizing radiation, etc.) and antioxidant systems (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, vitamins, trace elements, etc.). Reactive oxygen species, mediators of oxidative stress, are very unstable chemicals that seek to stabilize by reacting with different biological molecules, resulting in irreversible damage to lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids. Reactive oxygen species are thus involved in many pathologies that can be alleviated by nutritional supplementation with antioxidants. This synthesis summarizes the reactive oxygen species production mechanisms, their effects on biological targets and their involvement in autoimmune diseases, body-specific defense systems, assessment of the oxidative stress status and possible antioxidant therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]