Degenerate beneficial effects

It is well known that prolonged NMDA glutamate receptor activation results in degeneration of neurons (excitotoxicity). This has been attributed to a large increase in calcium influx, which activates the calmodulin-dependent NOS-1 and leads to sustained elevation of nitric oxide concentrations. The increase in neurodegeneration caused by excitatory amino acids may be due to enhanced oxygen radical formation since superoxide dismutase has a beneficial effect in... 

In the past decades, the increased consumption of table grapes and wines has been encouraged by the amply demonstrated beneficial effects of these substances on human illness, such as cardiovascular diseases, brain degeneration, and certain carcinogenic diseases (Caillet et al., 2006 Cheng et al, 2007). 

Monsonego A, Beserman ZP, Kipnis J, Yoles E, Weiner HL, Schwartz M (2003) Beneficial effect of orally administered myelin basic protein in EAE-susceptible Lewis rats in a model of acute CNS degeneration. J Autoimmun 21 131-138. 

The ability of lycopene to act as an antioxidant and scavenger of free radicals is frequently cited as the most likely mechanism that could account for the hypothesized beneficial effects on human health.Supporting this theory, protection against oxidative stress has been shown in parallel with a preferential destraction of lycopene relative to P-carotene in a study of human skin irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light. Further, the ability of carotenoids to act as antioxidants has been hypothesized as the mechanism underlying the protection of the human retina from photooxidation, a process that over time can result in the pathologies of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. ... 

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