Defective antioxidant systems in cervical cancer

Cervical cancer remains a great problem for woman health, as it is the second deadly cancer of females worldwide. The infection of human papilloma virus (HPV) is the major risk factor for this cancer, although several other factors are also associated. Oxidative stress or antioxidant deficiency has been frequently identified to be associated with cervical cancer. Defects in the antioxidant enzyme systems are reported to play important role behind this antioxidant deficiency, which is responsible for the production of reactive oxygen species and ultimately, DNA damage in cervical cells. In response, cells become more vulnerable to HPV infection for cervical cancer development. Recently, antioxidant therapies or dietary supplementation of antioxidants have gained considerable interests in the cervical cancer treatment. In this study, we have reviewed the association of defective antioxidant systems and cervical cancer development. The recent advances in both of the basic and clinical research focusing on possible antioxidant therapy have also been discussed.