Intake of Oxidized Proteins and Amino Acids and Causative Oxidative Stress and Disease: Recent Scientific Evidences and Hypotheses

The exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an inevitable consequence of living in an aerobic world. The species contribute to the occurrence of oxidative stress in humans in which an uncontrolled production of ROS exceeds the endogenous antioxidant defences leading to the oxidative damage to essential cellular components, such as lipids, proteins, and DNA. The influence of diet on the modulation of the systemic redox status is recognized and, while some dietary components are found to be protective (that is, fruits and vegetables), others are recognized as pro-oxidants (that is, processed meat and other animal-source protein foods). Oxidized proteins and amino acids are potential promoters of luminal and postprandial oxidative stress; preliminary studies have actually reported noxious effects of these species in cultured cells and in experimental animals. However, the underlying pathological mechanisms remain poorly understood. The application of advanced methodological approaches based on mass spectrometric technologies and OMICS disciplines has enabled the elucidation of the molecular basis of the pathological effects of dietary oxidized proteins and amino acids. The present review collects the most recent evidences of the health risks of dietary protein oxidation and proposes reasonable hypotheses and future perspectives on the field.