Abstract: The production of free radicals induced by oxidative stress is an integral part of aerobic metabolism. Reactive oxygen species（ROS） are produced in normal metabolic processes and by certain white blood cell populations during disease defense. More and more studies have shown that oxidative damage of tissues and cells can directly or indirectly induce the occurrence of many diseases, and then affects the health and welfare of animals. The production performance of high-yielding dairy cows can be optimized by supplementing antioxidants to a certain extent. This paper reviewed the research progress on oxidative stress and antioxidant defense system, and expounded their relationship with inflammatory response in perinatal dairy cows, in hoping to further reveal the molecular mechanism of antioxidants in preventing immune dysfunction and oxidative damage of host tissues, and to avoid the occurrence of metabolic diseases and clinical diseases induced by oxidative stress in perinatal dairy cows.

Key words: oxidative stress, cows, antioxidant defense system, inflammatory response