Formation of Free Radicals and Effects of Free Radicals on the Cell
Free radicals are highly reactive chemical species are rising from an atom that has a single unpaired electron in the outer orbit. In this state the radical is highly unstable and can enter into reaction with cellular constituencies particularly key molecules in cell membranes and nucleic acids.
Free radical formation is a byproduct of many normal cellular reactions in the body including energy generation, breakdown of lipids and proteins, and inflammatory processes. E.g. free radical generation is the main mechanisms for killing microbes by phagocytic white blood cells
Under normal conditions most cells have chemical mechanisms that protect them from the injurious effect of free radicals.
These mechanisms commonly breakdown when the cell is deprived of oxygen or exposed to certain chemical agents, radiation or other agents
Free radical formation is particularly threatening to tissues in which the blood flow has been interrupted and then restored. During the period of interrupted flow the intracellular mechanisms that control free radicals are inactivated or damaged. That is one of the reasons we have giving warning we should include Vitamin E, A and C in our diet which are scavengers.
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