Autoimmune disease, stress protein

This chapter reviewed current research pertaining to selected environmental agents and autoimmune diseases (Table 25.3). Other infectious agents (e.g., parvovirus, varicella), occupational exposures (e.g., mercury), dietary factors (dietary supplements, nutrients such as antioxidants, and specific proteins in wheat and other grains implicated in celiac disease), and stress have been the focus of additional research that was not included in this review. 

Increased levels of ROS due to oxidative stress have been consistently found in cardiovascular diseases as atherosclerosis or hypertension [18]. There is certain evidence that the free radicals involved in Parkinson s disease are mainly due to the production of increased levels of free radicals during oxidative metabolism of dopamine [19]. Oxidative stress, manifested by protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation (LP), among other alterations, is a characteristic of Alzheimer s disease [20] and in the pathogenesis of diabetes related complications. Treatment with antioxidants seemed to be a promising therapeutic option for these diseases [21], The inflammatory nature of rheumatoid arthritis implies that a state of oxidative stress may also exist in this disease [22,23]. Also, free radicals have a certain role in Huntington s disease [24,25], age related degeneration [26], and some autoimmune disorders [27],... 

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