Oxidative stress research: a framework to relate basic science to clinical practice

Abstract

Ezekiel Uba Nwose, Phillip Taderera Bwititi, Melissa Judith Chalada

Oxidative stress research has been going on for a long time, but a review of recent free radicals research literature presents little or no framework for translation into clinical practice. Instead, there seems to be a paradigm shift whereby the current trend in oxidative stress research has moved from the yet-to-be translated basic concepts to new hypotheses and theories that can hardly be separated from the basics. This commentary focuses on the issue of ‘translating basic science to clinical practice’; with a view to draw attention to untranslated basic concepts, some new theories that are inseparable from the basic concepts, the gap between negative vs positive research outcomes, and the gap between diagnostic pathology vs research in assessment of oxidative stress. Attempt is made to explain how oxidative stress research can be adopted in clinical practice and pathology, in particular. Importantly, this article identifies that the confounding effects of various default metabolites with anti- or pro-oxidant properties require to be acknowledged; and also hypothesize a framework to relate any new theory to the basics as well as to clinical practice.