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.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) which include free radicals, peroxides, singlet oxygen, ozone, and nitrogen monoxide and dioxide free radicals, is an area of intense research. This volume covers (1) the destruction of cellular function by ROS resulting in pathological states; (2) the protection by ROS of an organism against invading organisms that cause infections; and (3) the role of ROS in normal physiological processes. Designed for beginning graduate students, this book gives a concise overview of the field.

The chemical properties of superoxide ion, its biological role, and the role of other oxygen radicals which arise as a result of its transformations are contained in this text. In Volume I the principal reactions of superoxide ion, including protonation reactions with proton donors, nucleophilic reactions with esters, alkyl halides and other compounds, electron transfer reactions with quinones and metal complexes, are described. Basic quantitative data including rate constants and yields for the reactions of superoxide ion of all types are given in tables. This volumecontains the mechanisms of the generation of oxygen radicals in cells and the interaction of superoxide ion with cell components. The role of superoxide ion in lipid peroxidation and destruction of proteins and nucleic acids is explained, as well as oxygen radicals in the mechanisms of toxic and therapeutic action of drugs, especially anticancer antibiotics. In addition, the action of superoxide ion and other oxygen radicals on plants, micro-, and macroorganisms is discussed, along with the role of oxygen radicals in normal metabolic and pathological processes.

"Oxidative stress" is used as the generic term describing the involve ment of reactive oxygen species in various human diseases. The scope of such a topic is becoming increasingly wide. The recent interest in radicals such as nitric oxide and the discovery of new mechanisms such as the effect of free radicals on redox sensitive proteins and genes are enlarging our understanding of the physiological role of free radicals. Oxidative stress is involved in numerous pathological. processes such as ageing, respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurological pathologies such as dementia or Parkinson's disease. It still remains difficult, however, to demonstrate by chemical measurement the in vivo production of free radicals and even more to realise their speciation. Therefore, the development of new tools and indicators is engrossing many researchers working in this field. Reliable indicators are abso lutely necessary not only to monitor the evolution of oxidative stress in patients but also to evaluate the efficiency of new antioxidant treat ments. The French Free radical club of Grenoble, the CERLIB has been involved for many years in the organisation of international training programs on methodology, in order to provide both theoretical and practical help to researchers from various countries. Such training sessions have been highly successful and participants value the oppor tunity to learn reliable techniques. This positive echo explains why the researchers of CERLIB decided, with the help of Prof. Dr. B. Kalyanaraman, to publish selected techniques on free radical re search.

Provides insight into the involvement of free radicals in the pathogenesis of chemical-induced toxic tissue injury. The text addresses the fundamentals of free radical chemistry and the theoretical basis for electron transfer reaction leading to free radical generation. It describes the various subcellular sources of free radicals, the biological reactivity with lipid, protein and nucleic acids, and the physiochemical determinants of free radical-induced cell injury and the various antioxidant defence systems. The book focuses on target organ toxicity, and the concluding section offers an overview of the evidence implicating free radicals in the aetiology of various chemical toxicities, challenging the possibility of misguided use of biomarkers for oxidative damage.

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.

Oxygen offers fresh perspectives on our own lives and deaths, explaining modern killer diseases, why we age, and what we can do about it. Advancing revelatory new ideas, following chains of evidence, the book ranges through many disciplines, from environmental sciences to molecular medicine. Damage to DNA caused by oxidative stress appears to explain aging and many of its diseases, hence the popularity in alternative health circles of antioxidants. But antioxidants alone fail to prevent aging. Lane suggests two different avenues of study: modulation of the immune system, which generates free radicals as part of its defense against infectious diseases; and ways of improving the health of our cellular mitochondria, on which many age-related ailments seem to depend. Provocative and complexly argued. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

It is a natural phenomenon for all living organisms in the world to undergo different kinds of stress during their life span. Stress has become a common problem for human beings in this materialistic world. In this period, a publication of any material on stress will be helpful for the human society. The book Basic Principles and Clinical Significance of Oxidative Stress targets all aspects of oxidative stress, including principles, mechanisms, and clinical significance. This book covers four sections: Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress, Natural Compounds as Antioxidants, Antioxidants - Health and Disease, and Oxidative Stress and Therapy. Each of these sections is interwoven with the theoretical aspects and experimental techniques of basic and clinical sciences. This book will be a significant source to scientists, physicians, healthcare professionals, and students who are interested in exploring the effect of stress on human life.

This book describes the methods of analysis and determination of oxidants and oxidative stress in biological systems. Reviews and protocols on select methods of analysis of ROS, RNS, oxygen, redox status, and oxidative stress in biological systems are described in detail. It is an essential resource for both novices and experts in the field of oxidant and oxidative stress biology.