1991 Volume 111 Issue 2 Pages 103-119
The following species ; superoxide (O2⨪), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl radical (·OH) and singlet oxygen (1O2), are generally called as reactive oxygen species (ROS). These species have been suggested to play important roles in various diseases caused by oxygen toxicity such as ischemia, carcinogenesis, inflammation, diabetes and aging. During the past two decades, considerable interests have been focused on chemical and biological research of ROS. We have also reported about the research results on ROS, which can be classified as following below ; 1) chemical reactivities of O2⨪, 2) formation and toxicity of 1O2, 3) chemical reactivities of ·OH, 4) enzyme mechanism of xanthine oxidase, 5) development of the compounds which induce the formation of O2⨪ and H2O2 in living cells and 6) development of superoxide dismutase mimics. These studies are reviewed from the standpoint of both chemical and biological interests.
