REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Inflammation
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1662792
This article is part of the Research TopicInflammation, Immunity, and Cancer: New Pathways Towards Therapeutic InnovationView all 5 articles
The Role of Reactive Oxygen Species in the Transformation from Prostatitis to Prostate Cancer: A Review
Provisionally accepted
- Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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In the study of prostate diseases, the microenvironment associated with chronic prostatitis is characterized by abnormal activation of immune cells, leading to excessive accumulation of proinflammatory factors and an imbalance in the antioxidant defense system. This results in the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the subsequent triggering of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress persistently disrupts the homeostasis of prostate tissue through various mechanisms, including the damage to biomacromolecules, the regulation of inflammatory pathways, and the induction of apoptosis. ROS, as natural products of cellular metabolism, exhibit a dual role in biological systems. They are involved in the regulation of physiological signals while also possessing the potential to induce pathological damage. Further research indicates that during the occurrence and progression of prostate cancer (PCa), the gradually increasing ROS in the tumor microenvironment can activate cancer-related signaling pathways, induce Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) mutations, and promote the abnormal proliferation of tumor cells. ROS are widely recognized as pivotal molecules that connect chronic inflammation to carcinogenesis. Currently, the mechanisms by which ROS mediate the cross-linking of inflammatory and carcinogenic signaling pathways during the progression from chronic prostatitis to PCa remain inadequately understood. This review systematically analyzes the multifaceted mechanisms of ROS in inflammation-induced carcinogenesis. It preliminarily elucidates the inflammatory origins of PCa and explores early intervention strategies based on the regulation of oxidative stress. The goal is to provide novel potential targets and a theoretical foundation for the comprehensive prevention and treatment of chronic prostatitis and PCa.
Keywords: Reactive Oxygen Species, Oxidative Stress, Prostatitis, prostate cancer, Tumor Microenvironment, inflammation-cancer
Received: 09 Jul 2025; Accepted: 05 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Tang, Jiang, Luo, Li, Liang, Liu and Long. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Wen Luo, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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