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Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress: Basic Concepts and Misconceptions

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Book cover Free Radicals in ENT Pathology

Abstract

Free radicals have been shown to be involved in various ENT pathology conditions. While it is widely recognized that excessive amounts free radicals, including reactive oxygen species (ROSs) and reactive nitrogen species (RNSs), can be harmful and damage cell structures, in strong contrast, at low concentrations they can act as cellular and intracellular signaling molecules that facilitate normal biological processes. Current understanding of the involvement of free radicals in pathology suggests that antioxidant therapy through attenuating free radicals may be important to optimize treatment. Some studies in animal models and human subjects, however, have been less conclusive. This raises the concern that the complexities of free-radical biology and antioxidant treatments as well as practical variations of human participants may make it impossible to study single effects of antioxidant compounds. Physical exercise and a healthy diet that includes a high intake of natural complex antioxidant mixtures, for example, may influence the effects of antioxidant supplementation. Moreover, antioxidants are vulnerable to rapid changes in oxygenation (ischemia/reperfusion), light, temperature, and, most importantly, redox-active transition metals, which could act as prooxidants under certain conditions, both in vitro and in vivo.

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Abbreviations

8-oxodGuo:

8-Oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine

8-oxoGuo:

8-Oxo-7,8-dihydro-guanosine

ADP:

Adenosine diphosphate

ATP:

Adenosine triphosphate

EC:

Epicatechin

ECG:

Epicatechin gallate

EGC:

Epigallocatechin

EGCG:

Epigallocatechin gallate

ELISA:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

ESR:

Electron spin resonance

GC/MS:

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

GPX:

Glutathione peroxidase

HPLC:

High-performance liquid chromatography

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

NADP:

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate

RNSs:

Reactive nitrogen species

ROSs:

Reactive oxygen species

SODs:

Superoxide dismutases

TBAR:

Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Jinze Xu & Christiaan Leeuwenburgh

Authors
  1. Jinze Xu
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  2. Christiaan Leeuwenburgh
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Correspondence to Jinze Xu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cochlear Signaling & Tissue Engin., University of Michigan Kresge Hearing Research Institute, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Josef Miller

  2. Dept of Speech , Lang & Hearing Sci, Univ of Florida Health Sciences Center, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    Colleen G. Le Prell

  3. Div . of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, SIU School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois, USA

    Leonard Rybak

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Xu, J., Leeuwenburgh, C. (2015). Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress: Basic Concepts and Misconceptions. In: Miller, J., Le Prell, C., Rybak, L. (eds) Free Radicals in ENT Pathology. Oxidative Stress in Applied Basic Research and Clinical Practice. Humana Press, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13473-4_2

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