Abstract
A total of 40 years have already passed since the pioneering work of McCord and Fridovich on erythrocuprein superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. This modern scientific ‘Odyssey’ has been accompanied by a series of successes in the fields of biochemistry, biomedicine and proteomics. In this article, we resume the main strides in these fields, mainly aiming at delivering an exhaustive portrait of SOD’s involvement in several oxidative stress-triggered threats to human health, including neurodegenerative disorders (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases), cardiovascular diseases, cancer and aging. In parallel, food-derived chemical compounds appear to be intertwined with cellular redox poise modulation, as this increasingly emerges from clinical biochemical and proteomic investigations. Thus, we will also consider the involvement of these nutraceuticals in oxidative stress-triggered diseases and SOD activity modulation. Like a modern Ulysses, researchers know that the journey is not yet over. Nevertheless, much information has been gathered over the last four decades.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.