The Benefits Of Free Radicals

With all living organisms, a process known as cell respiration is integral in order to provide the body with an essential form of energy, adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Oxygen, although an essential part of this process, can form reactants from colliding with electrons associated with carrier molecules. (pb101.rcsb.org, 2017). Hydrogen peroxide is an integral product of this reaction but is known to impose negative effects on the body if high levels are introduced. Explicitly, this reaction is caused “If oxygen runs into (one of these) carrier molecules, the electron may be accidentally transferred to it. This converts oxygen into dangerous compounds such as superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide, which can attack the delicate sulphur atoms and metal ions in proteins.” (pdbh101.rcb.org, 2017). Research has suggested that the hydrogen peroxide can be converted into hydroxyl radicals, known to mutate DNA, which can potentially cause bodily harm due to DNA’s role in the synthesis of proteins. These radicals can cause detrimental effects on the human body, and studies have suggested a link to ageing. Due to the harmful effects of these H2o2, it is important that the body finds a way to dispose of hydrogen peroxide before concentrations are too great.

Within the Brugge Lab, we have investigated the role of various metabolic pathways in cancer including the role of antioxidants within the tumor cell. Although antioxidants were previously believed to scavenge harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) and provide a protective benefit against cancer, clinical trials have demonstrated that supplementation with antioxidants actually increased prostate cancer incidence among healthy patients. I joined a postdoctoral fellow in the lab to determine whether depletion of glutathione, the major antioxidant within the cell, would put the cell in a sensitive state that made it vulnerable to inhibition of other major pathways. Through our screening effects, we discovered that triple negative breast cancer cells become exquisitely sensitive to treatment with inhibitors of deubiquitinating enzymes through an induction of a proteotoxic stress response. I look forward to sharing these findings with the scientific community as second author on the manuscript currently in preparation.

Now here’s where it gets complicated, a majority of the free radicals currently swimming around in your body right now are created by your own metabolism, which means as harmful as they are, they are a completely unavoidable byproduct of life. Our bodies actually create free radicals just by breathing and digesting food. As we age, the creation of free radicals accelerates as the basic mechanics of our metabolism are themselves damaged by the free radicals they have created. Talk about a vicious cycle! And all of this free radical activity is what causes our bodies to age and become diseased.

Glutathione manages to act as a scavenger, neutralizing free radicals as they peruse the body. This counterbalance leads to the protection of our individual cells and thus our skin, eyes (lens, cornea, and retina), brain, heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, intestines as well as other tissues and organs from oxidative damages to ensure a better functioning,

What are free radicals? Free radicals happen when bonds split in an unusual way, causing the molecule to be left with an unpaired electron. These molecules are very reactive, due to their instability, which leads them to steal electrons from other molecules in order to become stable. When a free radical steals an electron from another molecule, this causes the molecule, whose electron was stole from, to become a free radical. Through this process, is how a chain reaction is caused, which can lead to damage of an entire cell, or area of the body.

In burns, free radicals and lipid peroxidation increases and also decreases the total antioxidant activity to deal with them and a reduction in antioxidant scavenging capacity. in the burn wound, increased inflammation and decreased tissue perfusion and increased activity of free radicals that makes it difficult healing process

While reading the case of cancer free meat eaters I found myself agreeing with several things but also disagreeing. I agree on grass being high in cancer fighting but not the the part about why grass is being fed to beef. I also agree with the Vitamin B17 theory. In addition I admit Vitamin D and Salmon can prevent heart attacks and kill cancer cells but I don't think it's going to cure someone from cancer in a few months or even years. For this process to work you may need a specific type of salmon and you would of have to of started this at a young age or even do this for many many years. Come to terms this is just a theory not even scientifically proven.

Studies have shown that hydroxyl radical is responsible for oxidative DNA damage. Hydroxyl radicals come from the reaction between ascorbate (vitamin C), uranyl acetate, and hydrogen peroxide as illustrated in scheme 1 . The mechanism of DNA damage begins when the reaction between uranyl acetate and ascorbate (vitamin C) makes plasmid relaxation in pBluescript DNA. pBluescript DNA is a phagemid which includes many advantageous sequences for utilizing cloning with bacteriophage. The rate of DNA strand breaks multiply when the reaction between ascorbate (vitamin C), and uranyl acetate increase. In addition, hydrogen peroxide is the end product when there is a reaction between uranyl ion and ascorbate. DNA damage can happen

Not only has chemotherapy been proven non-effective on many cancers, and it also comes with deadly side effects. Chemotherapy has been found to be nearly as effective as spontaneous remission. According to the Scientific American Journal, studies as early as 1985 have proven chemotherapy to be only 3% effective at best. In the 1985 Scientific American Journal, John Cairns duly states “All told, adjuvant treatments now avert a few thousand (perhaps 2 or 3 percent) of the 400,000 deaths from cancer that occur each year in the U.S. … This figure might be conceivably pushed up to 5 percent; an extra 1 percent, for example, could possibly come from the treatment of breast cancer with cytotoxic agents…” (pg. 59) Cytotoxic drugs prevent the replication of cells and thus used in the treatment of cancers. If 1% could be gained by just treating breast cancer patients with this drug that puts into perspective the 3% that chemotherapy cures across the board. Also, one must keep in mind that “natural” death, be it from an accident or illness not directly related to the cancer is considered is considered to not have “suffered any loss of life span as the result of their disease.” (pg.53) Lastly, please do keep in mind that “A group of patients can be considered cured of their cancers if they

If someone’s mitochondria produces superoxide in the electron transport chain, this can cause a dismutation (an unproportionate reaction) into hydrogen peroxide and from there to a hydroxyl free-radical. These radicals basically call for early-onset aging of cells and slow cell turnover. Free radicals have the ability to damage the cell’s DNA, lipids and proteins which has the potential to attack the body’s state of homeostasis. So basically any of the aforementioned factors acts like a several front war on the brain. Other “internally generated sources of free radicals include: Xanthine oxidase, Peroxisomes, inflammation, Phagocytosis, Arachidonate pathways, exercise, and Ischemia/reperfusion injury”. “Some externally generated sources of free radicals are: cigarette smoke, environmental pollutants, radiation, certain drugs, pesticides, industrial solvents, and

Cancer is a disease that has taken the world by storm. When chromosomes begin to mutate, they build up and cause a mass to form in or on a person’s body, which eventually turns into cancer. Because of the severity and recurrence of this potentially fatal disease, scientists have been dedicating their time in hopes of finding a cure. Of all the forms of treatment patients undergo, the most familiar of them would be chemotherapy. Even though it is most commonly used, there has been debate on whether chemotherapy is the best treatment option. When treating cancer, there are more options to improve the chance of living and quality of life that does not include chemotherapy.

Oxidation factors such as smoking cigarettes or bacterial infection can split apart molecules held by weak bonds, resulting in an unstable molecule with unpaired electron known as free radical.35 These free radicals start attacking the healthy nearby cells and attempt to replace their missing electron. When an attacked molecule loses its electron, it becomes a free radical itself. The damaged cell can release free radicals and continue the effects of oxidative stress to surrounding cells. The resulting oxidative stress can damage the endothelial cell wall by lipid peroxidation. Reactive oxidative species attack the cell membrane composed of polyunsaturated fatty acids by initiating the self-propagating chain reaction. Destruction of the cell membrane causes the osmotic disequilibrium that imbalances the entry/exit pathway of water molecules, proteins, enzymes, and other nutrients inside the cell. This further leads to cross-linking of proteins which disrupts extracellular signaling molecules to recognize their target proteins and utilize them for fulfilling specific functions in the body. Lipid peroxidation

Free radicals are essential to the human body because they are important components of the immune system and they also assist the body with the production of chemical energy. However, they can be dangerous. A free radical can take an an electron from another

“I wish we could get up one day, summon everyone and say we’ve cured the disease, but it’s just not going to happen”(Bettelheim). These grim words speak loudly to anyone who has faced or facing this horrible disease. The diagnosis of cancer is one that is hard for anyone to absorb; knowing they have a long journey ahead of them filled with trying times and dark days. To someone facing this horrible disease the only comfort they have is the use of an outdated unsuccessful treatment practice of chemo therapy. Research shows that chemo therapy is ineffective for the treatment of cancer based of the statistical survival rate, harmful and lasting effects on the body, and the breakthrough of new research and treatment.

Antioxidants are any vitamin or nutrient that can help prevent cancer or damage to the heart and other tissues caused by free radicals. By neutralizing free radicals, they prevent cell degradation. Antioxidant rich foods include blueberries, raspberries, dates, chocolate and, of course, coffee.