The effect of antioxidants on global and cytokine gene expression in T lymphocytes

Several different antioxidant compounds inhibit the proliferation of a variety of cell types, including human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBLs).1,2 The activities of several transcription factors, such as NF-κB,3–6 AP13–7 and C/EBPβ2,7 are known to be affected by antioxidants. This is thought to be due to their sensitivity, or that of the pathways that activate them, to the redox environment of the cell. The redox balance of the cell affects enzymes such as glutaredoxin and thioredoxin which directly interact with certain transcription factors.3 It also has been proposed that mitogens may use reactive oxygen species as second messengers and thus the effects of antioxidants on gene expression may be due to inhibition of these signals.1,4