Alterations of Antioxidant Enzymes and Biomarkers of Nitro-oxidative Stress in Tissues of Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most common tumors found in the urinary bladder for both male and female in western countries. In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and oxidative stress play a crucial role in human cancer. Low concentration of ROS and RNS is indispensable for cell survival and proliferation. However, high concentration of ROS and RNS can exert a cytotoxic effect. Increased oxidative stress is a result of either increased ROS/RNS production or a decrease of antioxidant defense mechanisms. A literature search was carried out on PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar for articles in English published up to May 2018 using the following keywords: oxidative stress, antioxidants, reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, paraoxonase, urinary bladder cancer, and nitric oxide. Literature data demonstrate that BC is associated with oxidative stress and with an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidant enzymes. Markers of lipid peroxidation, protein and nucleic acid oxidation are significantly higher in tissues of patients with BC compared with control groups. A decrease of activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, and paraoxonase) has also been demonstrated. The imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants could have a potential role in the etiology and progression of bladder cancer.