Nutraceuticals and mitochondrial oxidative stress: bridging the gap in the management of bronchial asthma

Abstract

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease primarily characterized by inflammation and reversible bronchoconstriction. It is currently one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. Oxidative stress further complicates the pathology of the disease. The current treatment strategies for asthma mainly involve the use of anti-inflammatory agents and bronchodilators. However, long-term usage of such medications is associated with severe adverse effects and complications. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop newer, novel, and safe treatment modalities for the management of asthma. This has therefore prompted further investigations and detailed research to identify and develop novel therapeutic interventions from potent untapped resources. This review focuses on the significance of oxidative stressors that are primarily derived from both mitochondrial and non-mitochondrial sources in initiating the clinical features of asthma. The review also discusses the biological scavenging system of the body and factors that may lead to its malfunction which could result in altered states. Furthermore, the review provides a detailed insight into the therapeutic role of nutraceuticals as an effective strategy to attenuate the deleterious effects of oxidative stress and may be used in the mitigation of the cardinal features of bronchial asthma.

Nafamostat has anti-asthmatic effects associated with suppressed pro-inflammatory gene expression, eosinophil infiltration and airway hyperreactivity

“…Asthma is a non-communicable, heterogeneous chronic airway inflammatory disorder affecting ~300 million people worldwide. Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation and airway remodelling associated with various symptoms, including shortness of breath, wheezing, cough and chest tightness, and variable expiratory airflow limitation (1)(2)(3)(4). The progression of asthma is complicated and is associated with a diverse interplay between environmental factors and genetic predispositions, thereby stratifying asthmatics into distinct phenotypes with significant clinical variance (1).…”

“…Further, asthma endotyping is an emerging concept, through identifying different cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the disease pathogenesis (2). Current therapies for asthma include a combination of anti-inflammatory agents like corticosteroids along with bronchodilators; however, the poor response to these regimens among certain asthmatic subsets and the adverse side-effects associated with their long-term use emphasizes the need to identify novel therapeutic interventions to treat asthma effectively (4).…”

Oxidative Stress and Air Pollution: Its Impact on Chronic Respiratory Diseases

“…Some factors increase the risk of the development of asthma. Among these, regular exposure through inhalation to oxidants derived from outdoor and indoor ambient air pollutants is on the list of factors that contributes to the progression of the disease [49][50][51]. Since the relationship between oxidative stress and the inflammatory response depends on each other, and genetic predisposition could modify their balance, there is interest in the role of the inflammatory process as an activator of oxidative stress [52].…”

Effect of budesonide combined with montelukast sodium on pulmonary function parameters and immunoglobulin levels in children with bronchial asthma

“…The optimal drugs in drug therapy are glucocorticoids. 19 These medications significantly reduce the inflammatory effects associated with bronchial asthma. Budesonide is one of the most widely used glucocorticoids.…”