Abstract

IMPORTANCE OF ANTIOXIDANTS AGAINST DISEASES

*Dr. Jyoti Saxena

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a collective term used for oxygencontaining free radicals, depending on their reactivity and oxidizingability. ROS participate in a variety of chemical reactions with biomoleculesleading to a pathological condition known as oxidativestress.Antioxidants, therefore, can stop the formation of free radicalsand the chain reactions, which would otherwise result in cell damageor even death.It is therefore, necessary to validate the utility ofantioxidants in improvement of human health in order to take fulladvantage of their therapeutic potential.The human body has severalmechanisms to counteract oxidative stress by producing antioxidants,which are either naturally produced in situ, or externally suppliedthrough foods and/or supplements. This mini-review deals withantioxidantsdeleterious effects on cellular activities, and the concept of free radical biologyand role of different antioxidants on human health and diseases.

Keywords: free radicals; antioxidants; beneficial effects; deleterious effects; oxidative stress; diseases; health.