ANTIOXIDANT ENZYMES

AUTOR: POP ALEXANDRA-IOANA BIA, AN IV

PROF.COORDONATOR:CONF.DR. SUHAROSCHI RAMONA

 The theme I have chosen to write about is Antioxidant Enzymes;

Free radicals are constantly formed in living cells and removed by antioxidant defenses.
Antioxidant enzymes are the main line of defense against free radicals in animal and plant cells.
Uncontrolled generation ROS are involved in a number of human disease states, including diabetes
and cancer due to disturbance in cellular and molecular processes including cell growth, differentiation
and proliferation. When cells are exposed to oxidative stress a defense system endorses the expression
and regulation of number of antioxidant enzymes as a defense mechanism to protect them from the
damage induced by free radicals.

Introduction
The beneficial effect of antioxidants on the maintenance of health in human has become an
important subject that has engaged many scientists across theworld over the last decade.
Antioxidants are important in terms of their ability to protect against oxidative cell damage that
can lead to conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, heart disease and also linked with
chronic inflammation. It is defined as the substances which at low concentration significantly
inhibits or delay the oxidative process, while often being oxidized themselves. Recent reports
suggest that several endogenous and exogenous antioxidants are used to neutralize free radicals and
protect the body from free radicals by maintaining redox balance. Singh et al. (2010) quoted that
antioxidants have gone from “Miracle Molecules” to “Marvellous Molecules” and finally to
“Physiological Molecules” that they play a vital role in metabolic pathways and protect cells.
However recent conflicting evidence has forced the scientists to dig deeper in order to explore the
role of antioxidants and pro-oxidants, since free radical reactions have been implicated in every
human pathological condition which includes neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, memory loss, depression and
cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, cardiac hypertrophy,
hypertension, shock and trauma. Further, it also implicated in pulmonary disorders which include
inflammatory lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and
additionally diseases associated with premature infants such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia,
periventricular leukomalacia, intraventricular hemorrhage, retinopathy of prematurity and
necrotizing enterocolitis and in some autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and also in
several renal disorders such as glomerulonephritis, tubulointerstitial nephritis, chronic renal failure,

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proteinuria, uremia and finally gastrointestinal diseases like peptic ulcer, inflammatory bowel
disease and colitis, diabetes, tumors and cancers.

Mechanism of antioxidant action and nutrients

It is reported that antioxidants can execute protective role against free radicals by a variety of
different mechanism including the catalytic systems to neutralize or divert ROS, binding or
inactivation of metal ions prevents generation of ROS by Haber–Weiss reaction, suicidal and chain
breaking antioxidants scavenge and destroy ROS or absorb energy,electron and quenching of ROS.
In 21st century, demand for intake of antioxidant food or dietary antioxidant increasing with the
hope to keep body healthy and free from diseases and the potential beneficial effects of antioxidants
in protecting against disease have been well established. It is increasingly thought that nutrition may
play a vital role in helping to defend against oxidative stress and damage induced by free radicals.
Therefore, certain nutrients and dietary components with antioxidant properties are important for the
protection against oxidative stress injury of the body. Food consumption is a major source of
exogenous antioxidants and has been estimated that a typical diet provides more than 25,000
bioactive food constituents as nutrients and many of this may modify a multitude of processes that
are related to different diseases. Generally, antioxidants are abundant in vegetables and fruits and
are also found in grain cereals, peas, legumes, nuts and other food products. At this juncture, a
systematic survey has also identified more than 3100 antioxidants in foods, like beverages, spices,
herbs and supplements which are regularly consumed by different cultures. It has been speculated
that the decrease in the intake of nutritional and antioxidants rich food may increase the chances of
oxidative stress which may lead to cell damage, therefore intake of such natural antioxidants may
give protective effect against free radical induced diseases. In view of the importance of
antioxidants, Suntres reported that antioxidant liposomes will hold an important role in future
research on antioxidants, and also reports that it facilitates the delivery of antioxidants to specific
sites as well as achieving prophylactic and therapeutic action. In addition, Bouayed and Bohn have
suggested that the balance between oxidation and anti-oxidation is critical in maintaining a healthy
biologic system and low doses of antioxidants may be favorable to this system, but high quantities
may disrupt the balance. It is true that antioxidants are beneficial and display a useful role in the
maintenance of the homeostasis in human ROS system, but so are pro-oxidants, therefore the

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 scientific community should search deeper into the kinetics and in vivo mechanisms of antioxidants
to uncover the optimal concentrations or desired functions in order to push forward against cancer,
neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. Various studies related to free radicals, oxidative
stress and antioxidant activity of food reveals the prominent beneficial role of antioxidant and its
specific role against different diseases individually. However the collective and concise data on the
role of antioxidants in human diseases will be better and most appropriate one in order to know the
exact role of antioxidants in all kinds of human diseases. Hence, an attempt has been made in this
review, to summarize the detailed role and impact of antioxidants in certain selected dreadful human
diseases.

t3:3 Antioxidants Effect of health References

Protects against cancers, Protects from heart disease, Improvement of

Vitamin C the health of Barry, Liu et al., Wang et al. , Wintergerst et al.,

cartilage, joints and skin, Maintaining a healthy immune system,

t3:4 Improvement in the Woo et al., Thankachan et al. and Riso et al.

antibody production, Increase in the absorption of nutrients, Increases

protection

against H2O2-induced DNA strand breaks

Prevents coronary heart disease, Prevents the formation of blood clots

Vitamin E Decreases Pryor, Traber et al, Weinstein et al., Muller et al.

incidence of breast and prostate cancers, Brain protection, Reduces

t3:5 long-term risk Devore et al. and Miyake et al.

of dementia Decreases risk of Parkinson's disease

Inhibit oxidation of LDL, Inhibit platelet aggregation, Improve

Polyphenol endothelial dysfunction Manach et al., Russo et al., Sch¨achinger et al,

Lower risk of myocardial infarction, Effect anticarcinogenic Prevent

neurodegenerative Corder et al, Yang et al. Halliwell, Pan et al.,

diseases, Protect against neurotoxic drugs, treatment of diabetes,

t3:6 treatment to prevent Zunino et al., Atmaca et al., Hurrell et al..

osteoporosis, Inhibit non-heme iron absorption

Cofactors of antioxidant enzymes SOD-Cu/Zn, Mn-SOD and GSH-

t3:7 Cu, Zn, Mn, Se
Pox Visioli F et al.

Protection against oxidation of lipids, LDL, proteins and DNA.

t3:8 Other carotenoids
Abduction and free Visioli F et al.

(lycopene) radical scavenging

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 Conclusion

In summary the reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress play an important role in the aetiology
and progression of major human degenerative diseases has triggered enormous and worldwide interest
in endogenous and exogenous antioxidants. There is now abundant evidence that substances in fruit
and vegetables are potent preventives of various diseases, especially arthritis, cancer, heart disease,
diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. With these recent developments in scientific knowledge
which firmly establish the links between food factors and the prevention of disease.

The present review reveals a vast number of relevant studies related to oxidative stress and
selected human diseases. The research field actually presents a variety of approaches that have been
produced suggestive evidence that antioxidants might have an impact against many diseases.

However, more systematic research in this line is imperative in order to reveal the relationship and
involvement of antioxidants with other diseases. The large diversity in the molecular mechanisms and
the methodology of antioxidants discussed here are factors probably responsible for the consistent
findings of their prevention of diseases. This shows that it will be very useful in controlling many
oxidative stress mediated diseases as discussed above. In comparison with the effects of the
antioxidants analysed in the previous study we can expect that many plant derived compounds which
have excellent antioxidant property and were successfully investigated here and validates or
corroborates the antioxidant hypothesis of many diseases. Current review highlights the perspectives
and possibilities of unrevealing the uncapped potentials of antioxidants in herbal plants for disease
cure and warrants the need for systematic research in the field to clear the insights in this very
complex matter.

However, recent research work with antioxidant therapy suggests another promising area i.e.,
combining potential antioxidants and using them during the early onset of the disease as a prophylactic
measure to prevent the disease that may eventually prove to be more effective in treating several
devastating diseases.

Therefore, after consulting the following article, I do agree to the comsumption of antioxidants,
however in a moderate ratio.

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