Oxidative stress and congestive heart failure

Oxygen free radicals, produced by the reduction of oxygen during many cellular reactions, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Extremely reactive, free radicals damage many cellular structures and interfere with multiple cell functions. Clinically, free radicals have been associated with coronary atherosclerosis, ischemia and reperfusion injury ('stunning'), and other processes related to chronic myocardial dysfunction. Several studies have reported elevated markers of free radical mediated injury in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), and the link between oxidative stress and the genesis and progression of chronic CHF is being increasingly explored. This review briefly highlights free radical biology and examines the rationale and evidence for the role of oxidative stress in chronic heart failure.