Document Type
Response or Comment
Publication Date
10-1-2024
Manuscript Version
vor
Abstract
Study by Haga et al. on the utility of neonatal serum thioredoxin-1 (TRX-1) levels as a biomarker of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)/ retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is the first of its kind. A biomarker is considered to enable the detection of a pathological condition or its severity and ideally, should have the capacity to be detected in the pre-disease state or during the diseased state. Premature infants who develop BPD are exposed to supplemental O2 and show marked evidence of oxidant stress as suggested by elevated glutathione disulfide (GSSG) concentrations.1 Upon preterm delivery, an infant breathing even atmospheric oxygen of 21% undergoes a sudden increase in lung O2 levels which perturbs the hypoxia-mediated signaling necessary for lung development in utero. Oxidative stress occurs in cells as a result of imbalance between the production and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).2 ROS are generated in cells routinely as by-products of oxygen metabolism. However, environmental stressors such as ionizing radiation, pollutants, heavy metals and exposure to hyperoxia greatly increase ROS production. Though ROS have physiological roles such as cell signaling, excessive accumulation results in oxidative stress and cell damage. Antioxidant systems such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione (GSH), glutaredoxin, heme oxygenase and thioredoxin (TRX) systems protect cells from the pathological effects of ROS.3 A deficiency in mounting efficient antioxidant responses to hyperoxia leads to increased susceptibility to oxidant injury. This is a problem seen in preterm infants who are more susceptible to the effects of oxidant injury due to developmental deficits in antioxidants.4 In this context, an understanding of the antioxidant systems is critical, and one such important system is thioredoxin.
Publication Title
Pediatric Research
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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Sudhadevi, T., Harijith, A. Thioredoxin: an antioxidant, a therapeutic target and a possible biomarker. Pediatr Res 96, 1117–1119 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-024-03370-6