Antioxidants Blood infections

Pulmonary gene therapy is attractive for the treatmment of chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, a-1 antitrypsin deficiency, familial emphysema, asthma, pulmonary infections, surfactant deficiency, pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer, and malignant mesothelioma. The pulmonary endothelium may act as a bioreactor for the production and secretion of therapeutic proteins, such as clotting factors and erythropoietin into the blood circulation. There is a potential benefit for acquired lung diseases, as well as cancers, to be controlled and possibly treated by expression of cytokines, surfactant, antioxidant enzymes, or mucoproteins within lung cells. 

Ceruloplasmin (Cp), secreted into the blood stream, appears to be ubiquitous in vertebrates. There is extensive in vitro evidence that Cp efficiently catalyzes the oxidation of Fe to Fe under near physiological conditions. The role of Cp in iron metabolism is widely accepted and there is strong evidence for a secondary role in copper transport/regulation. Defects in hepatic biosynthesis of Cp may result in diseases such as Wilson s disease. There is conclusive evidence that Cp is the source for the copper found in cytochrome c oxidase and CuZn-SOD in cells. Cp inhibition of Fenton chemistry-induced oxidative damage of deoxyribose, lipids, and DNA points to an antioxidant role, which would explain the increase in Cp concentration in response to acute infection or inflammation. 

Prodncts and Uses Used as a food and medicine since before the time of Christ. Universally acclaimed for reducing cholesteral and triglycerides, reducing blood pressure and a preventative of cancers, colds and respiratory infections. Considered to have anti-inflammatory, antifungul, antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The typical dose is 900 mg of powdered garlic standardized to 0.6% allicin per 100 mg or 5.4 mg allicin to lower cholesterol. 

Besides their astringent flavor in foods, proanthocyanidins are of great interest in nutrition and medicine because of their potent antioxidant activity and possible protective effects on human health [48,50-52]. Recently, it has been hypothesized that free radical scavenging properties of proanthocyanidins may reduce the risk of CVD [53,54], cancer [38,55], blood clotting [56], and that certain types of trimetric proanthocyanidins may protect against urinary tract infections [57]. 

A Haber-Weiss reaction can take place between hydrogen peroxide and the superoxide radical and allows the formation of hydroxyl radicals. In red blood cells, these processes are balanced by antioxidant systems involved [48]. In infected red blood cells, however, a surplus of radicals is produced causing an imbalance between pro-and antioxidant species [46]. Detoxification systems present in the parasite and also in the host cells are accelerated to counteract these radical species and create a new redox balance. Many studies [49] focused on the understanding of the antioxidant mechanisms, allowing the identification... 

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