Antioxidants are a class of chemical substances naturally found in food which can prevent or reduce the oxidative stress of the physiological system. Plants and animals are the abundant source of naturally producing antioxidants. Alternately, antioxidants can also be synthesized by chemical process as well as from the different kinds of agro-related wastes using biological process.
The body is constantly producing free radicals due to regular use of oxygen. Free radicals and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) are continuously produced in human body as byproduct of various essential processes like energy generation, phagocytosis and detoxification reactions.
Reactive oxygen species play a positive role in energy production, phagocytosis, regulation of cell growth, intercellular signaling and synthesis of biologically important compounds.
However, overproduction of reactive oxygen species is also harmful to the body and these free radicals are responsible for the cell damage in the body and contribute to various kinds of health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, macular degeneration, and cancer.
The oxidation induced by reactive oxygen species can result in cell membrane disintegration, membrane protein damage and DNA mutation, which can further initiate or propagate the development of many diseases.
Antioxidants are compounds that can delay, inhibit, or prevent the oxidation of oxidizable matters by scavenging free radicals and diminish oxidative stress.
Antioxidant and reaction to ROS
