Apocynin: Mother Nature’s gift to combat oxidative stress

Oxidative stress is a hallmark of several cardio- and neuro-vascular pathophysiological events. However, the approach of using classical antioxidants has not been fruitful due to the vicious redox cycling. In this context identifying the sources of oxidative stress and discovering/developing their selective inhibitors is envisaged to be of therapeutic potential in several clinical conditions. NADPH oxidases are one of such oxidative stress generators, which have gained increasing momentum in the recent years. Apocynin, a compound isolated from natural sources, is the one specific inhibitor of NADPH oxidases with highest potential for drug development. This review briefly describes the biology of NADPH oxidases and the pharmacognosy of apocynin.