Positive oxidative stress in aging and aging-related disease tolerance

•Basal levels of ROS and RNS are essential for cell survival.•Severe oxidative stress and oxidative damage usually lead to cell death.•Positive oxidative stress can be induced by preconditioning and postconditioning.•Lipid- and protein oxidation can execute the effects of positive oxidative stress.•Positive oxidative stress can serve as a prophylactic or therapeutic approach.

It is now well established that reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and a basal level of oxidative stress are essential for cell survival. It is also well known that while severe oxidative stress often leads to widespread oxidative damage and cell death, a moderate level of oxidative stress, induced by a variety of stressors, can yield great beneficial effects on adaptive cellular responses to pathological challenges in aging and aging-associated disease tolerance such as ischemia tolerance. Here in this review, I term this moderate level of oxidative stress as positive oxidative stress, which usually involves imprinting molecular signatures on lipids and proteins via formation of lipid peroxidation by-products and protein oxidation adducts. As ROS/RNS are short-lived molecules, these molecular signatures can thus execute the ultimate function of ROS/RNS. Representative examples of lipid peroxidation products and protein oxidation adducts are presented to illustrate the role of positive oxidative stress in a variety of pathological settings, demonstrating that positive oxidative stress could be a valuable prophylactic and/or therapeutic approach targeting aging and aging-associated diseases.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide