Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine


Book Description

Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine has become a classic text in the field of free radical and antioxidant research. Now in its fifth edition, the book has been comprehensively rewritten and updated whilst maintaining the clarity of its predecessors. Two new chapters discuss 'in vivo' and 'dietary' antioxidants, the first emphasising the role of peroxiredoxins and integrated defence mechanisms which allow useful roles for ROS, and the second containing new information on the role of fruits, vegetables, and vitamins in health and disease. This new edition also contains expanded coverage of the mechanisms of oxidative damage to lipids, DNA, and proteins (and the repair of such damage), and the roles played by reactive species in signal transduction, cell survival, death, human reproduction, defence mechanisms of animals and plants against pathogens, and other important biological events. The methodologies available to measure reactive species and oxidative damage (and their potential pitfalls) have been fully updated, as have the topics of phagocyte ROS production, NADPH oxidase enzymes, and toxicology. There is a detailed and critical evaluation of the role of free radicals and other reactive species in human diseases, especially cancer, cardiovascular, chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. New aspects of ageing are discussed in the context of the free radical theory of ageing. This book is recommended as a comprehensive introduction to the field for students, educators, clinicians, and researchers. It will also be an invaluable companion to all those interested in the role of free radicals in the life and biomedical sciences.




Tissue Hypoxia and Ischemia


Book Description

This monograph contains the proceedings of a symposium entitled, "Tissue Hypoxia and Ischemia," which was held at the Annenberg Center of the University of Pennsylvania on August 13 and 14, 1976. The symposium was jointly sponsored by the following groups at the University of Pennsylvania: the Respiratory Physiology Group of the Department of Physio logy, the Cardiopulmonary Section of the Department of Medicine, the Johnson Research Foundation, the Cerebrovascular Research Center of the Department of Neurology, the Head Injury Center of the Department of Neurosurgery, the. Institute for Environ mental Medicine, and the International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissues. Its purpose was to promote an interdisciplinary discussion of oxygen sensors in various tissues and their mechanism of action as well as to examine the deleterious effects of hypoxia and ischemia with special reference to the brain. There were four sessions, one on the biochemistry of physi ologic oxygen sensors, two on the mechanism of oxygen sensing in tissues and one on the circulatory and metabolic aspects of cerebral hypoxia and ischemia.




Oxygen Radicals in Biology and Medicine


Book Description

This book is based on the papers presented at the "Fourth International Congress on Oxygen Radicals (4-ICOR)," held June 27 - July 3, 1987, at the University of California, La Jolla. The chapters deal with the phenomena associated with highly reactive oxygen species (hydroxy, peroxy, alkoxy, aroxy, and superoxide radicals, as well as singlet oxygen) and their peroxidation products (hydrogen peroxide, hydroperoxides, peroxides, and epoxides) as they relate to the fields of chemistry, food technology, nutrition, biology, pharmacology, and medicine. The kinetics, energetics, and mechanistic aspects of the reactions of these species and the interrelationship of oxygen radicals (or any other free radicals) and peroxidized products have been emphasized. Special attention is focused on the mechanisms of the generation of free radicals and peroxy products in biosystems and on the adverse effects of these radicals and products in humans. The topics span the continuum from the simple chemistry of model systems to the complex considerations of clinical medicine. The book also explores the mechanisms of agents that protect against free radicals and peroxy products in vitro and in vivo. These agents include antioxidants used in materials, food antioxidants, physiological antioxidants, and antioxienzymes (SOD, glutathione peroxidase, and catalases). The use of these inhibitors to prevent damage to organs being prepared for transplantation, thereby maintaining the quality of transplanted organs and/or extending their "shelf-life," also is examined.




Free Radicals in Organic Chemistry


Book Description

Free radicals constitute the most frequently used class of reaction intermediates in organic chemistry. This study describes the structure and reactivity of free radicals, and explores their role in both natural phenomena and in the design of new reaction pathways.




Free Radical Reactions in Medicine


Book Description

This book aims to provide a concise review of the medical aspects of free radical reactions. Until now, there have been extensive reviews of the subject in a physiological, pathophysiological and biochemical context. Here, however, the authors concentrate on the biology of free radical reactions as relevant to medical practice, emphasizing that the topic is not just a branch of basic science. Consequently, a short introduction on chemical and biological aspects is followed by a detailed discussion of the role played by free radical reactions in the pathogenesis and development of several human diseases and in therapeutic possibilities. The summary of data from the literature is supplemented by the authors' own experimental results. The presentation will help medical researchers to notice so far unknown connections among several diseases and to make them aware of the existance of the so-called "free radical diseases".




Free-Radical-Induced DNA Damage and Its Repair


Book Description

The free-radical chemistry of DNA had been discussed in some detail in 1987 in my book The Chemical Basis of Radiation Biology. Obviously, the more recent developments and the concomitant higher level of understanding of mechanistic details are missing. Moreover, in the living cell, free-radical DNA damage is not only induced by ionizing radiation, but free-radical-induced DNA damage is a much more general phenomenon. It was, therefore, felt that it is now timely to review our present knowledge of free-radical-induced DNA damage induced by all conceivable free-radical-generating sources. Originally, it had been thought to include also a very important aspect, the repair of DNA damage by the cell’s various repair enzymes. Kevin Prise (Cancer Campaign, Gray Laboratory, L- don) was so kind to agree to write this part. However, an adequate description of this strongly expanding area would have exceeded the allocated space by much, and this section had to be omitted. The directors of the Max-Planck-Institut für Strahlenchemie (now MPI für Bioanorganische Chemie), Karl Wieghardt and Wolfgang Lubitz, kindly allowed me to continue to use its facilities after my retirement in 2001. Notably, our - brarian, Mrs. Jutta Theurich, and her right-hand help, Mrs. Rosemarie Schr- er, were most helpful in getting hold of the literature. I thank them very much. Without their constant help, this would have been very difficult indeed.




Radical-mediated Protein Oxidation


Book Description

Radicals--short lived, reactive molecules--are thought to play a major role in many oxidative processes within cells and to have implications in several human diseases, carcinogenesis, and aging. This unique and comprehensive volume brings together up-to-date information on the oxidation of amino acids, peptides, and proteins by free radicals and discusses the roles of such processes in biological systems. Topics include: the chemistry of amino acid and protein oxidation; the biochemical consequences of these reactions; the role of protein oxidation in normal physiology; the potential importance of protein oxidation in human health, including aging, heart disease, cancer, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases; and the possible prevention of disease processes by antioxidants and other protective strategies. Drawing on the latest research across a range of disciplines, this book will be important reading for researchers and graduate and postdoctoral students in the fields of radical biochemistry, physiology, and pathology.




Radicals for Life


Book Description

Radicals for Life: the Various Forms of Nitric Oxide provides an up-to-date overview of the role of nitrosocompounds and nitrosyl-iron complexes in physiology. Nitrosocompounds can be considered as stabilised forms of nitric oxide, one of the most important regulatory molecules in physiology today. Many nitrosocompounds share some of the physiological functions of nitric oxide, and may be formed inside living organisms. This is the first book to be published that is dedicated to the role of such nitrosocompounds in physiology, with particular emphasis on the nitrosocompounds that are endogenously formed in higher organisms and humans. Points of discussion include: physical and chemical properties of the compounds, the main chemical pathways in vivo, as well as the physiological effects that have been recognised to date. Each of the nineteen chapters is written by distinguished specialists in the field, well known for their original and important contributions to the subject. Also included are results from a wide range of studies in vitro, in cell cultures, animal models and human volunteers. Examples of alternative forms of nitric oxide, with special emphasis on their protective role against widespread human diseases like atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, sexual dysfunction, and renal insufficiency to stroke and ischemia are also included. - First monograph to consider and provide an overview of endogenous nitrosocompounds and nitrosyl-iron complexes - Extensive bibliographic references, written by specialists of human physiology - Providing high scientific quality with a focus on implications for human diseases




Antioxidants in Sport Nutrition


Book Description

Antioxidant use in sports is controversial due to existing evidence that it both supports and hurts athletic performance. This book presents information on antioxidants, specifically for athletes, and their roles in sports nutrition. It stresses how antioxidants affect exercise performance, health, and immunity. Chapters cover oxidative stress; basic nutrition for athletes; major dietary antioxidants; sports supplements; performance/adaptation to exercise; antioxidants role in health and immunity; reviews on vitamins C, E, beta-carotene, and minerals in sports nutrition; and roles polyphenols play in high-performance sport.




Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy


Book Description

Although originally invented and employed by physicists, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has proven to be a very efficient technique for studying a wide range of phenomena in many fields, such as chemistry, biochemistry, geology, archaeology, medicine, biotechnology, and environmental sciences. Acknowledging that not all studies require the same level of understanding of this technique, this book thus provides a practical treatise clearly oriented toward applications, which should be useful to students and researchers of various levels and disciplines. In this book, the principles of continuous wave EPR spectroscopy are progressively, but rigorously, introduced, with emphasis on interpretation of the collected spectra. Each chapter is followed by a section highlighting important points for applications, together with exercises solved at the end of the book. A glossary defines the main terms used in the book, and particular topics, whose knowledge is not required for understanding the main text, are developed in appendices for more inquisitive readers.