Antioxidants and Free Radicals: The role of Oxidation is a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals, leading to chain reactions that may damage cells in the human body. An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules. What is a free radical? A free radical is an atom or molecule with at least one unpaired electron, making it especially reactive to other atoms or groups of atoms. A : B A · + B · If free radicals react with certain chemicals in the body, they may interfere with the ability of cells to function normally. One of the most important radicals is molecular oxygen. Molecular oxygen in the ground state is a diradical with one unpaired electron on each oxygen. As a radical it can extract hydrogen atoms. In biological systems, oxygen is an electron acceptor. When molecular oxygen accepts one electron, it becomes a radical anion called superoxide. Superoxide is involved in positive and negative physiological roles: The immune system uses superoxide in its defense against pathogens agents; superoxide is also involved in degenerative disease processes associated with aging and oxidative damage to healthy cells. …show more content…
+ 2 H+ superoxide dismutase H2O2 + O2 2 H2O2 catalase 2 H2O + O2 (Superoxide dismutase y Catalase are enzymes). The human body is exposed to free