Advanced Insights of Oxidative Stress in Ischemic Stroke: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis and Treatment

Ischemic stroke is one of the major causes of disability and mortality in the aged people. A better understanding of the pathology, mechanism, diagnosis and treatment of stroke might have important practical implications for patient clinical management, especially for aged patients. Affected by cerebral ischemia, neurons are not capable of maintaining cellular respiration metabolism, leading to excitotoxicity and calcium overload, which further induce oxidative stress. During oxidative stress process, the reactive oxygen species is massively produced, which involved in the regulation of diverse biological processes including lipid, DNA, protein and signaling pathways. This review is aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of oxidative stress in ischemic stroke, particularly ischemic stroke occurred in the elderly. Our topics included the pathogenesis and the role oxidative stress plays in the ischemic stroke occurrence and development. Additionally, oxidative stress-related diagnostic methods and antioxidant therapies in clinical use are further discussed. With a focus perspective on aged patients, we expect our review can contribute to guide a comprehensive acknowledgment of oxidative stress in ischemic stroke, suggesting preventive treatment toward antioxidant-based therapy as a novel therapeutic alternative for the elderly.