Abstract
Extensive research work on reactive oxygens and rapid progress in nitric oxide (NO) chemistry over the last 10 years have led to a change in the general concepts relating to oxidative damage in biological fields. These include the recognition of importance of nitration, nitrosation and nitrosylation reactions in addition to peroxidation-mediated reaction in various diseases. In the concept of cellular or tissue damage, formation of nitrotyrosine in proteins or non-proteins was demonstrated in many pathological conditions such as septic shock, atherosclerosis, and cerebral infarction. The reaction of superoxide and NO was shown to be responsible for its formation, although detailed mechanism and the implication of nitrotyrosine formation remain to be clarified. In parallel with these new concepts, the importance of free radical-induced redox modulation in cellular signal transduction systems has been recognized recently. Therefore the future research in reactive oxygens and NO will be broadened more to cover these concepts.
