Sies · Redox biology 2017 · narrative review · n=?

Hydrogen peroxide as a central redox signaling molecule in physiological oxidative stress: Oxidative eustress.

Cited 2144 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review of biochemical mechanisms without primary human clinical data

PubMed 28110218 · doi:10.1016/j.redox.2016.12.035 · record verified 2026-08-30

What was done

This narrative review summarizes metabolic sources, sinks, assay methods, and concentration-dependent signaling pathways of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in biological settings.

What was found

The abstract reports defined concentration windows for H2O2 activity: physiological redox signaling (oxidative eustress) occurs at 1–10 nM; higher concentrations trigger adaptive stress responses via pathways like Nrf2/Keap1 or NF-κB; and supraphysiological concentrations (>100 nM) cause biomolecular damage (oxidative distress).

Why it matters

It distinguishes beneficial physiological redox signaling from pathological oxidative damage based on specific nanomolar concentration thresholds.

Limits

As a narrative overview, it provides no systematic search methodology, meta-analytic pooling, or new empirical human data. Context-specific in vivo variations and assay limitations are not detailed in the abstract.

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