Abstract
We all realize that oxygen is a dangerous friend. Oxygen is something that we cannot live without, but it is also a substance that we cannot live with indefinately. This chapter will review two aspects of this subject. First, an overview will be given of some of the points relevant to the idea that oxygen is toxic by pointing out the underlying chemical and biological mechanisms that are important in the toxic effects of oxygen in biological systems. Secondly, same experimental approaches that have been undertaken in our laboratory, using the concept of studying the increased metabolism associated with exercise in order to follow the generation of oxygen free radicals (oxidants) and their consequences, in terms of changes in antioxidants will be described. Antioxidants are major cellular defense mechanisms that are important to preventing molecular, cellular and tissue damage due to free radicals and hence their understanding is pertinent to relating “Cell function and Disease.”
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Aikawa, K.M., Quintanilha, A.T., de Lumen, B., Brooks, G.A. and Packer, L., 1984, Exercise Endurance Training Alters Vitamin E Tissue Levels and Red Blood Cell Hemolysis in Rodents, Bioscience Reports, 4: 253 – 257.
Davies, K.J.A., Packer, L. and Brooks, G.A., 1981, Biochemical Adaptation of Mitochondria, Muscle, and Whole-Animal Respiration to Endurance Training, Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 209: 538-553.
Davies, K.J.A., Quintanilha, A.T., Brooks, G.A., and Packer, L., 1982 Free Radicals and Tissue Damage Produced by Exercise, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 107: 1198-1205.
Quintanilha, A.T. and Packer, L., 1983, Vitamin E, Physical Exercise and Tissue Oxidative Damage, in: “Biology of Vitamin E, Proceedings of a Ciba Foundation Symposium, 7-10 March, 1983,” R. Porter and J. Whelan, eds., London, Pitman Medical Ltd.
Gohil, K., Packer, L., De Lumen, B., Brooks, G.A., and Terblanche, S.E., 1986, Vitamin E Deficiency and Vitamin C Supplements: Exercise and Mitochondrial Oxidation, J. Applied Physiology, 60 (6): 1986 – 1991.
Gohil, K., Rothfuss, L., Lang, J., and Packer, L., 1987, Effect of Exercise Training on Tissue Vitamin E and Ubiquinone Content, J. Applied Physiol. 63 (4): 1638 – 1641.
Gohil, K., Viguie, C., Stanley, W., Brooks, G. and L. Packer, 1988, Blood Glutathione and Oxidation During Human Exercise, J. of Applied Physiology, 64 (1): 115 – 119.
Kirkwood, S.P., Packer, L. and Brooks, G.A., 1987, Effects of Endurance Training on a Mitochondrial Reticulum in Limb Skeletal Muscle, Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 255: 80–88.
Lang, J., Gohil, K., Burk, R.F. and L. Packer, 1987, Selenium Deficiency, Endurance, Exercise Capacity and Antioxidant Status in Rats, J. Applied Physiol. 63 (6): 2532 – 5.
Lang, J., Gohil, K., Rothfuss, L. and L. Packer, 1987, Exercise Training Effects on Mitochondrial Enzyme Activity, Ubiquinones, and Vitamin E, in: “Anticarcinogenesis and Radiation Protection,” O.F. Nygaard, M. Simic, and P. Cerutti, eds., Plenum Press, New York.
Packer, L., Exercise, Aging, and Antioxidants, 1987, in: “Advances in Myochemistry, Proceedings of the 2nd ISM Congress (Rome, Italy, 8-10 October, 1987),” G. Benzi, ed., John Libbey & Co. Ltd., London.
Packer, L., 1986, Vitamin E, Physical Exercise and Tissue Damage in Animals, Med. Biol., 62: 105-109.
Packer, L., 1986, Oxygen Radicals and Antioxidants in Endurance Exercise, in: Biochemical Aspects of Physical Exercise, G. Benzi, L. Packer, and N. Siliprandi, eds., Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam.
Packer, L., Gohil, K., deLumen, B., and Terblanche, S.E., 1986, A Comparative Study of the Effects of Ascorbic Acid Deficiency and Supplementation on Endurance and Mitochondrial Oxidative Capacities in Various Tissues of the Guinea Pig, Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 83B: 235-240.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Packer, L. (1988). Oxygen is a Dangerous Friend. In: Cañedo, L.E., Todd, L.E., Packer, L., Jaz, J. (eds) Cell Function and Disease. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0813-3_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0813-3_17
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8095-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-0813-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive