Role of Oxidative Stress in the Pathogenesis of OCD

Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen and a biological system's ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or easily repair the resulting damage. A particularly destructive aspect of oxidative stress is the production of reactive oxygen species, which include free radicals and peroxides. Oxidative stress is one of the mechanisms involved in neuronal damage induced by free radicals which causes membrane lipid degradation which occurs due to interaction of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). These free radicals cause catalytic destruction of membranes and likely damage vital functions of cell. Oxygen radicals are continuously produced intracellularly by oxidation-reduction reactions. MDA (malondialdehyde) is a product of lipid peroxidation. Oxidative damage of neuronal membrane causes increased MDA levels and impaired activity of SERT.