Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species, Inflammation, and the Antioxidant Defense Network of Chromosome 6
Abstract Persistent oxidative stress has emerged as a central mechanism linking mitochondrial dysfunction to chronic inflammatory disorders, including post-viral syndromes such as Long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Although no single mechanism fully explains these complex conditions, current evidence suggests that multiple interconnected biological pathways contribute to sustained immune activation and impaired cellular energy metabolism. Proposed contributors include impaired interferon signalling , which may weaken the early antiviral response and allow prolonged immune activation; persistence of viral antigens or viral remnants that continue to stimulate the immune system after the acute infection has resolved; monocyte and macrophage activation , resulting in chronic production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS); endothelial dysfunction , which compromises vascular integrity and microcirculatory blood flow; comp...