Aging is a common, underlying, and influential risk factor of many major diseases, such as cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and metabolic diseases, immune system and musculoskeletal disorders, and even cancers, which are all major public health risks. In recent decades, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals have been rapidly evolving as destructive and toxic by-products of cellular activity, which gave birth to a period of redox biology. Thus, researchers started to suspect that redox was closely related to age-related diseases. Moreover, with the advent of new research demonstrating the importance of these molecules for normal physiological processes, the idea that ROS is completely harmful is now obsolete.

This new practical awareness does not mean that these types of reactions are harmless, as a lack of strict control over these volatile messengers can lead to irreversible cell damage and pathology that defines true oxidative stress. However, the line between physiological reoxidation signals and oxidative stress in age-related diseases is still unclear, and there is a lack of literature that attempts to describe these two biological phenomena clearly. Therefore, understanding the functional roles of these redox molecules, as well as the molecular events underlying their synthesis, formation, conversion, recognition, dissociation, and degradation will promote a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of normal physiology with potential relevance for age-related diseases.

The aim of this Special Issue is to encourage research presenting and discussing any aspects related to redox molecules and signaling in normal physiology and age-related diseases. Original research and review articles are welcome.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Drug development targeting redox signaling in normal physiology and age-related diseases
• Novel modulators of post-translational modifications of proteins during oxidative stress
• Molecular mechanisms and clinical significance of post-translational modifications with impact on cellular redox status and normal physiology and age-related diseases (e.g. Glycosylation, Sumoylation, Ubiquitination, S_Glutathionylation, etc.)Redox induced post-translational modifications in normal physiology and age-related diseases
• Cellular consequences of redox-mediated signal transduction in normal physiology and age-related diseases
• Cellular systems implicated in reversal of redox modifications and redox signaling6. System biology, epigenetics, and omics for exploring potential redox biomarkers in normal physiology and age-related diseases
• The discriminative/diagnostic value of redox biomarkers in relation to redox status and/or health outcomes in oxidative stress-mediated conditions
• The effects of any lifestyle-, diet-, antioxidant- or anti-inflammatory interventions on redox status parameters in normal physiology and age-related diseases
• The predictive value of redox biomarkers with regard to treatment responses and disease prognosis in normal physiology and age-related diseases
• Novel regulators of the redox regulation machinery, such as glutathione biogenesis pathways and the KEAP1-NRF2 system