Cellular messengers known as redox signaling molecules activate antioxidants that keep oxidative free radicals under control. Supplements can aid in fighting aging, chronic infections, and diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. Check out feedback such as ASEA Reviews to learn more about its effects.

Cellular communication is critical to a healthy life. But, if your redox balance is off, it can lead to disease and a decline in cellular efficiency.

What is Redox Signaling?

Redox Signaling is the process by which chemically activated oxygen molecules act as second messengers to alter the activity of a protein. This change can either be protective or harmful.

These messenger molecules enable proper communication between your cells so your immune system can perform its job. They also protect your body against harmful bacteria, viruses, and other foreign invaders.

This communication is made possible by the redox signaling molecules that allow your antioxidant systems to function properly. These redox signals are created when cells release the “activator” molecules that trigger your body’s antioxidant response.

These redox signals can be generated by lipid peroxidation products, quinones, or other metabolites that react with specific protein thiolates. The specificity of these interactions is based on the physicochemical properties of the proteins, including their redox potential, half-life, and diffusion capability.

How Does Redox Signaling Work?

Redox Signaling is a system of messenger molecules that enable proper communication between the cells in your body. These messengers ensure optimum immune system performance and prevent oxidative damage from bacteria, viruses, toxins and more.

Redox signaling involves the reversible oxidation and reduction of protein cysteine residues involved in critical functions such as activation of enzymes, hormone binding and DNA recognition. Enzymes with specific chemical features such as redox-sensitive thiol-disulfide formation, S-nitrosylation, sulfenylation and disulfide bonding mediate these chemical reactions.

Your body produces redox signaling molecules naturally, but the balance is disrupted when you get too much oxidative stress from poor diet, harmful toxins, infections, and other factors. This imbalance leads to a host of health issues and diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, mental illness, and more. This is why scientists worldwide are focused on studying these molecules and finding ways to enhance their function.

Why Is Redox Signaling Important?

Redox signaling is an important cellular communication process, allowing a more targeted response to certain oxidants. For example, when a protein is exposed to an oxidant, it can be reversibly modified via the formation of disulfide bridges, S-nitrosylation, or sulfenylation. These chemical modifications affect the protein’s structure, binding ability and function.

Redox signals are a major player in the pulmonary vasculature’s physiologic cellular response, including energy metabolism, host defense, gene expression, contraction and apoptosis. Aberrancy in this vital process leads to some diseases, including pulmonary hypertension, cor pulmonale, and pulmonary edema.

Redox molecules are constantly sent out to protect your cells and DNA from oxidants. Still, they can become disrupted by environmental factors like stress, toxins, bacterial infections, inflammatory foods and more. When this happens, the balance of oxidants and antioxidants becomes off, leading to various health conditions.

How Can I Increase Redox Signaling?

Your body produces redox signaling molecules naturally to ensure that all your cells communicate and function properly. But things like aging and exposure to harmful toxins cause your redox signaling molecules to decline, which can lead to oxidative stress and damage.

Redox signaling is distinguished from other non-redox signals by the oxidation-reduction reaction between the sensor protein and the second messenger. The characteristic chemistry is often associated with cysteine-rich proteins. The specificity of the redox signaling mechanism is also conferred by the involvement of the enzymes thiol peroxidases, which catalyze redox reactions in the presence of electrophiles such as ROOH and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), the major electrophilic products of lipid peroxidation.

Insufficient redox signaling causes your immune system to attack healthy cells and can even cause it to attack itself. This leads to autoimmune problems that affect everything from your eye health to your heart health. Your brain is not spared from the effects of poor redox signaling either, as evidenced by its role in mental illness such as schizophrenia.