[The role of oxidative stress in heart failure].

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of heart failure. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species can be generated in all cell types that can be found in the myocardium. Potential sources of reactive oxygen species are the NADPH oxidases, nitric oxide synthase, lipoxygenases, cyclooxygenase, xanthine oxidase, cytochrome P450 enzymes, and the mitochondrial respiratory chain. The reactive oxygen species mediated damages are implicated in both the vascular system (endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis) and the myocardium (remodeling). Oixidative stress causes lipid and protein oixidation as well as single stranded DNA breaks and induces changes in signaling pathways which serve as central transducers of cardiac hypertrophic growth, remodeling and/or ventricular dilatation.