Review

The role of antioxidant supplement in immune system, neoplastic, and neurodegenerative disorders: a point of view for an assessment of the risk/benefit profile

Daria Brambilla¹ , Cesare Mancuso² , Mariagrazia Rita Scuderi¹ , Paolo Bosco³ , Giuseppina Cantarella¹ , Laurence Lempereur¹ , Giulia Di Benedetto¹ , Salvatore Pezzino¹ and Renato Bernardini¹

¹Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

²Institute of Pharmacology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italy

³IRCSS OASI Maria SS, Troina, Italy

author email corresponding author email

Nutrition Journal 2008, 7:29doi:10.1186/1475-2891-7-29

Published:	30 September 2008

Abstract

This review will discuss some issues related to the risk/benefit profile of the use of dietary antioxidants. Thus, recent progress regarding the potential benefit of dietary antioxidants in the treatment of chronic diseases with a special focus on immune system and neurodegenerative disorders will be discussed here. It is well established that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the etiology of numerous diseases, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes and cancer. Among the physiological defense system of the cell, the relevance of antioxidant molecules, such as glutathione and vitamins is quite well established. Recently, the interest of researchers has, for example, been conveyed on antioxidant enzyme systems, such as the heme oxygenase/biliverdin reductase system, which appears modulated by dietary antioxidant molecules, including polyphenols and beta-carotene. These systems possibly counteract oxidative damage very efficiently and finally modulate the activity of oxidative phenomena occurring, for instance, during pathophysiological processes. Although evidence shows that antioxidant treatment results in cytoprotection, the potential clinical benefit deriving from both nutritional and supplemental antioxidants is still under wide debate. In this line, the inappropriate assumption of some lipophylic vitamins has been associated with increased incidence of cancer rather than with beneficial effects.