The Interrelation between Reactive Oxygen Species and Autophagy in Neurological Disorders

Figure 1

The generation and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria. The “→” refers to activation or induction, and the “⊢” refers to inhibition. Under normal or stress conditions, ROS is mainly born from the mitochondrial respiratory chain with the beginning of O₂⁻ production, followed by the conversion to H₂O₂ then OH⁻ under the catalysis of SOD and GSH-px. Defective mitochondria can instigate ROS accumulation with a “RIRR” positive-feedback mechanism. Excessive ROS can inflict severe damage on biomacromolecules, which can be counteracted by the antioxidant enzyme system to some degree.