Oxidative stress and free radicals

Oxidative stress is linked to serious diseases and longevity of aerobic cells, including those in humans, which makes the topic of special interest. In this article the basic chemistry involved in the formation of free radicals and other reactive oxygen and nitrogen species will be reviewed along with an account of the major reaction types they induce. In addition, it will be shown how the technique of computational chemistry may provide detailed information on specific reaction channels of importance in oxidative stress. Specifically, preliminary data for a mechanism for the NO mediated production of HO radicals in the absence of transition metal catalysts will be presented. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.