[Molecular Biological Roles of Oxidative Stress in Acute Brain Ischemia]

The pathogenesis of acute brain ischemia is very complex, involving multiple mechanisms including excessive free radical generation. Oxidative stress means the imbalance between the generation and removal of free radicals. Once acute brain ischemia occurs, the reactive oxygen species interact with large numbers of biomacromolecules, irreversibly change or destroy the functions of cellular lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, and thus initiate cell signaling pathways. However, the molecular biological characteristics of oxidative stress and the way to prevent and treat acute brain ischemia still need further investigations.