Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Therapy in Chronic Kidney and Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) have major impacts upon the health of populations worldwide, especially in Western societies. The progression of CKD or CVD independently exerts synergistic deleterious effects on the other, for example, patients with CKD are more likely to die of CVD than to develop renal failure. This overlap between CKD and CVD, in part, relates to common etiologies such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension, but important dynamic and bidirectional interactions between the cardiovas‐ cular system and kidneys may also explain the occurrence of concurrent organ dysfunction [1]. Cardio-renal syndrome (or reno-cardiac syndrome, the prefix depending on the primary failing organ) is becoming increasingly recognised [2]. Conventional treatment targeted at either syndrome generally reduces the onset or progression of the other [3]. Even though our understanding of various factors and steps involved in the pathogenesis of CKD and CVD and their obvious links has improved, a complete picture of the mechanisms involved is still unclear. Oxidative stress has been identified as one unifying mechanism in the patho‐ genesis of CKD and CVD [4]. This current chapter gives a brief review of recent literature on the relationship between CKD, CVD and oxidative stress and indicates how, by applying knowledge of the molecular controls of oxidative stress, this information may help improve targeted therapy with antioxidants for these diseases.