ABSTRACT
Oxidative stress is implicated in the initiation and progression of different chronic diseases from diabetes to cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) that contribute to oxidative stress are continuously being generated as part of the normal cellular metabolism. Oxidative stress occurs when there is excess generation of ROS that cannot be compensated by available antioxidant processes. Due to the short biological half-lives of these metabolites, one of the main challenges in biomarker research is to validate reliable and efcient markers that could be used to identify individuals who are at risk of developing oxidative stress and who would benet the most of an early preventive management program. We propose that plasma lipoproteins may serve as natural biosensors of early oxidative stress in the arterial wall. Furthermore, indices of lipoprotein-associated oxidative stress assessed in plasma in the fasting state and after a physiologic bout of oxidative challenge might potentially be among the best biomarkers of early oxidative stress.
