Abstract: Common marginal donor liver mainly consists of fatty donor liver, elderly donor liver, small volume donor liver and liver graft from donation after cardiac death (DCD), etc. The application of marginal donor liver may resolve the severe shortage of donor liver to certain extent. Nevertheless, marginal donor liver yields a higher risk of ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and causes more severe IRI than normal donor liver, which is a main cause for the failure of transplantation. In addition, oxidative stress is a major risk factor causing IRI of marginal donor liver. Therefore, how to mitigate oxidative stress and alleviate IRI of marginal donor liver has become a hot spot in clinical practice. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress occurs throughout the whole process of IRI. In this article, the role of oxidative stress in IRI of marginal donor liver transplantation and the ROS-targeted prevention and treatment were reviewed, aiming to provide reference for clinical practice.