Dear Colleagues,

Despite discoveries in the field of redox signaling, oxidative stress is still commonly considered a harmful and uncontrolled process associated with the major diseases of modern mankind.

It is also assumed that the distinction between (patho)physiological and dangerous oxidative stress is based on the onset of lipid peroxidation (LPO), especially in the case of non-enzymatic chain reactions. Although these reactions usually occur in the case of free radical attack on polyunsaturated fatty acids, such LPO may generate reactive aldehydes, which are not reactive oxygen species (ROS), but may act as “second messengers of ROS.” Among these, due to its bioactivities and biomedical relevance, 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) is considered to be the major LPO product. HNE has strong affinity to bind to proteins, thus changing their structure and function. Consequently HNE can regulate the bioactivities of proteins as well as various cellular processes in concentration- and cell-type dependent manners.

Therefore, similar to other pathophysiological processes including oxidative stress, LPO can be either acute or chronic, harmful causing irreversible damage to bioactive macromolecules, physiological in the case of metabolism and synthesis of signaling molecules, or even an essential component of inflammatory processes.

This Special Issue dedicated to LPO will tackle this complex topic with the aim of publishing original research and review papers exploring both positive as well as negative aspects of LPO.

Prof. Dr. Neven Zarkovic
Guest Editor