Redox-regulation of the integrin activation state may explain the effect of ROS in physiological processes. A deeper understanding of the underlying mechanism may open new prospects for the treatment of fibrotic disorders.

What do oxygen and its radicals have to do with cell adhesion? Several years ago, even experts in the research fields of redox biology and cell adhesion likely would have answered this question innocuously or evasively. Is there really little to talk about? Some of the former hypotheses on redox biology of cell adhesion have substantialized in the meantime. This Forum provides insights into the interplay between oxygen radical species and the cellular contacts with the extracellular matrix, including the subsequent steps, such as cytoskeleton rearrangement. Moreover, it describes evidences that the cell-matrix contact influences the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby underlying the potential liaison between redox biology and cell adhesion.