Avances en Química (Sep 2007)
Reacciones de radicales libres con relevancia biológica en la teoría del envejecimiento.
Abstract
In the present review, we have gathered a series of results on investigations carried out about the topic of the free radicals and their relationship with the cellular aging. We have considered how the reactive oxygen species (superoxide anion, singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radicals) and nitrogen species induce the generation of reactions that involve the oxidation of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and DNA. Furthermore, they not only react with the just mentioned type of compounds, they can also react among themselves as a result of the termination of chain of reactions. All these events contribute to promote cellular aging and to the origin of diverse pathologies such as well as the illness of Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases as well asother neurodegenerative pathologies. For this reason it is fundamental for an organism to maintain a stable balance and a regulated redox-system to prevent the accumulation of reactive species that give origin to the senescence processes. Up to now the most accessible way to maintain this balance, is through the exogenous consumption of foods rich in anti-oxidant that allow to counteract some possible unbalance that can initiate the undesirable oxidation-reduction processes.
