Oxidative Stress in Asthma Pathogenesis: Mechanistic Insights and Emerging Biomarker Signatures

Bronchial asthma is a heterogeneous disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation. Oxidative stress arises when the production of free radicals exceeds the antioxidant defense system's capacity, leading to a redox imbalance. Under oxidative stress, airway inflammation is activated, leading to airway remodeling and maintenance of bronchial hyperreactivity. Airway epithelial remodeling can cause irreversible tissue fibrosis in asthma patients, thereby contributing to a severe course of asthma. A comprehensive literature review was performed using medical database "PubMed" and specialized search engine "Google Scholar" using the PICO model. A total of 51 scientific studies published in English from 2020-2025 were analyzed. Out of the initial 561 articles, 510 articles were excluded due to incomplete articles, studies involving animals, or articles not in English. New studies show that oxidative stress can be objectively measured using various biomarkers. This research aims to provide a better understanding of how oxidative stress affects the airways of asthma patients and what information can be obtained by measuring oxidative stress biomarkers.