Antioxidants as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia

Abstract

Background

Community-acquired pneumonia remains a major health concern, characterized by significant morbidity and mortality. The underlying pathophysiology of community-acquired pneumonia involves substantial oxidative stress and inflammation, which contribute to lung tissue damage and impaired immune function.

Main body

Variations in oxidative metabolism contribute to the inflammatory cascade which triggers pneumonia to commence and evolve, whereas oxidative stress as well as inflammatory processes is strongly related. Understanding the underlying immunological dysregulation and unbalanced redox that heighten vulnerability to a variety of illnesses has improved over the past several decades attributable to research. One of the key strategies for addressing oxidative stress is to lower the reactive oxygen species creation in the mitochondrion which is one of the main sites of their generation by using antioxidants, where they prevent oxidants from transferring electrons to other molecules. Consequently, antioxidants either directly or indirectly reduce the risk of damage and preserve the redox equilibrium. Therefore, antioxidants, due to their ability to neutralize reactive oxygen species and modulate inflammatory processes, have been explored as potential adjuvant therapies to enhance the treatment outcomes of community-acquired pneumonia. Where recent research has explored the potential of antioxidants as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia, aiming to mitigate these detrimental effects. Antioxidants such as N-acetylcystein, vitamin C, vitamin E, astaxanthin, and zinc have shown promising results in both preclinical and clinical studies.

Conclusion

Outcomes of several in vitro as well as in vivo antioxidant studies have demonstrated the antioxidants' promising potential as an adjunct pneumonia therapy. For an assessment of its effectiveness in this therapeutic context, more research involving humans will be required.