Free Radicals: Health Implications and their Mitigation by Herbals.
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Date
2015
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Abstract
Free radicals pose serious threat to tissues and vital organs, especially membrane lipids, proteins
and nucleic acids of cells. Overproduction of reactive oxygen/ nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) and
other related radicals lead to oxidative stress which has been implicated in aging and a number of
diseases. Free radicals react with biomolecules and cause lipid peroxidation, loss of enzyme
activity, mutation and carcinogenesis. A number of degenerative diseases including cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, and adverse hepatic conditions have been attributed to accumulation of free
radicals. Diseases resulting from radical overload might also lead to different types of cancers.
However free radicals at low or moderate levels are vital to human health. ROS and RNS produced
in a well regulated manner help maintain homeostasis at the cellular level in the normal healthy
tissues and play an important role as signaling molecules. Cellular antioxidant enzyme systems
including superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidases/reductase, peroxiredoxins along
with non enzymatic antioxidants viz., tocopherols, vitamin C and glutathione etc., apart from
several dietary components protect cells and organisms from the lethal effects of excessive ROS
production. Natural products of plant origin have been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of diseases resulting from radical overload. The diversity of phytochemicals such as polyphenols,
flavonoids, carotenes and saponins etc. present in plants and dietary components provide drug
leads for the development of novel therapeutic agents. This review deals with the components of
free radical biology, their adverse consequences in humans and amelioration of diseases by
botanical therapeutics.
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Keywords
Reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress, cancer; aging, diabetes, plant products
Citation
Kumar S, Pandey Abhay K. Free Radicals: Health Implications and their Mitigation by Herbals. British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research. 2015; 7(6): 438-457.