Anemia Caused by Oxidative Stress

Anemia is considered to be one of the major health problems. According to the World Health Organization, about 30 percent of people throughout the world suffer from anemia. The most common cause of anemia is iron deficiency; however, recent work has shown that reactive oxygen species (ROS) of erythrocytes are one of the principal causative factors of anemia. Elevation of ROS in erythrocytes could occur either by activation of ROS generation or by suppression of antioxidative/redox system. When erythrocytes experience an excessive elevation of ROS, oxidative stress develops. ROS are known to contribute to the pathogenesis of several hereditary disorders of erythrocytes, including sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Deficiency of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) or peroxiredoxin II (Prx II) induces elevation of oxidative stress in erythrocytes and causes anemia, while deficiency of catalase or glutathione peroxidase does not. In addition to the abnormalities of antioxidant enzymes, some transcription factors such as p45NF-E2 or Nrf2 can cause anemia. In this chapter, I provide some evidence of the involvement of oxidative stress in anemia.