ABSTRACT
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are implicated in various diseases such as inflammation, cancer, diabetes, and aging. Apoptotic cell death is also deeply involved in these diseases. Although there is much evidence indicating that ROS and RNS are sig nals for apoptotic cell death, the mechanism by which apoptosis occurs is still not clear. Recent advances in analyses of apoptosis induced by activation of death receptors such as Fas and TNF receptors show that a protease cascade belonging to the ICE protease family (caspase) is involved in this type of cell death (1). Mitochondria has also some roles in this process (2,3). Here we review works on antioxidative enzymes in relation to apoptosis caused by ROS, RNS, and the glycation reaction and discuss about the mechanism, which generally transmits signals for cell death without activation of specific membrane receptor(s).
