Abstract
Nitrogen dioxide and carbonate radical anion have received sporadic attention thus far from biological investigators. However, accumulating data on the biochemical reactions of nitric oxide and its derived oxidants suggest that these radicals may play a role in various pathophysiological processes. These potential roles are also indicated by recent studies on the high efficiency of urate and nitroxides in protecting cells and whole animals against the injury associated with conditions of excessive nitric oxide production. The high protective effects of these antioxidants are incompletely defined at the mechanistic level but some of them can be explained by their efficiency in scavenging peroxynitrite-derived radicals, particularly nitrogen dioxide and carbonate radical anion. In this review, we provide a framework for this hypothesis and discuss the potential sources and properties of these radicals that are likely to become increasingly recognized as important mediators of biological processes.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 841-859 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Free Radical Biology and Medicine |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1 2002 |
Externally published | Yes |
Funding
This work was supported by grants from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientı́fico e Tecnológico (CNPq), and Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP).
Keywords
- Carbonate radical anion
- Free radicals
- Nitric oxide
- Nitrogen dioxide
- Nitrosoactive stress
- Oxidative stress
- Peroxynitrite
- Reactive nitrogen species
- Superoxide anion
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology (medical)
- Biochemistry