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World J Methodol. Dec 26, 2015; 5(4): 216-222
Published online Dec 26, 2015. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v5.i4.216
Biomarkers of oxidative stress in erythrocytes as a function of human age
Pawan Kumar Maurya, Prabhanshu Kumar, Pranjal Chandra
Pawan Kumar Maurya, Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neuroscience (LINC), Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo 04039-032, Brazil
Pawan Kumar Maurya, Prabhanshu Kumar, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida 201303, India
Pranjal Chandra, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
Author contributions: Maurya PK had conceived the idea; Maurya PK and Chandra P set up the frame of the review article and wrote up manuscript; Kumar P edited the entire manuscript.
Supported by Fellowship (to Pawan Kumar Maurya) (Science without Borders-Level A) from coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq), Brazil.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Dr. Pranjal Chandra, MTech, PhD, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Kamrup, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India. pchandra13@iitg.ernet.in
Telephone: +91-361-2583207 Fax: +91-361-2582249
Received: April 8, 2015
Peer-review started: April 9, 2015
First decision: June 24, 2015
Revised: September 1, 2015
Accepted: September 16, 2015
Article in press: September 18, 2015
Published online: December 26, 2015
Abstract

Despite more than 300 theories to explain the aging process, oxidative stress theory offers the best mechanism to explain aging and age related disorders. Several studies has shown the importance of oxidative stress during aging. PubMed, Science Direct and Springer online data bases are taken into consideration to write this mini-review. Human erythrocytes are most abundant and specialized cells in the body. Erythrocytes were extensively studied due to their metabolism and gas transport functions. Recent studies on erythrocytes have provided us detailed information of cell membrane and its structural organization that may help in studying the aging and age associated changes. The susceptibility of an organism is associated with the antioxidant potential of the body. Erythrocytes have potent antioxidant protection consisting of enzymatic and non-enzymatic pathways that counteract with reactive oxygen species, thus maintaining the redox regulation in the body. The non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants and other biomarkers associated with erythrocyte membrane transport functions are the main content of this review. Biomarkers of oxidative stress in erythrocytes and its membrane were taken into the consideration during human aging that will be the main subject of this mini- review.

Keywords: Biomarkers, Humans, Aging, Oxidative stress, Erythrocytes, Erythrocyte membrane

Core tip: The aim of present review is to summarize important oxidative stress biomarkers in erythrocytes during human aging. Erythrocyte membrane is rich in lipids and proteins which are easy targets of reactive oxygen species. Erythrocytes are also equipped with antioxidant defense system. Studies on biomarkers of oxidative stress are important in the establishment of reference values in different populations and in studies involving their role in different disease conditions.