The role of Nrf2 signaling in parasitic diseases and its therapeutic potential
Mohammadamin Vatankhah,
Reza Panahizadeh,
Ali Safari,
Alireza Ziyabakhsh,
Behnam Mohammadi-Ghalehbin,
Narges Soozangar,
Farhad Jeddi
Affiliations
Mohammadamin Vatankhah
Zoonoses Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran; Students Research Committee, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
Reza Panahizadeh
Zoonoses Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran; Students Research Committee, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
Ali Safari
Zoonoses Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
Alireza Ziyabakhsh
Zoonoses Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
Behnam Mohammadi-Ghalehbin
Zoonoses Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
Narges Soozangar
Zoonoses Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran; Corresponding author.
Farhad Jeddi
Department of Genetics and Pathology, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran; Corresponding author.
In response to invading parasites, one of the principal arms of innate immunity is oxidative stress, caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, oxidative stresses play dual functions in the disease, whereby free radicals promote pathogen removal, but they can also trigger inflammation, resulting in tissue injuries. A growing body of evidence has strongly supported the notion that nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF) signaling is one of the main antioxidant pathways to combat this oxidative burst against parasites. Given the important role of NRF2 in oxidative stress, in this review, we investigate the activation mechanism of the NRF2 antioxidant pathway in different parasitic diseases, such as malaria, leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, toxoplasmosis, schistosomiasis, entamoebiasis, and trichinosis.
