Inflammatory joint disease free radicals

The efficient removal of O2 and H2O2 vvill diminish OH formation and therefore antioxidant defence systems have evolved to limit their accumulation. Enzymic and low molecular weight antioxidants exist to scavenge free radicals as self-protection mechanisms. Some proteins exhibit antioxidant properties because they chelate transition-metal catalysts. The significance of antioxidants in relation to inflammatory joint disease is discussed below. 

Parkes and co-workers have also conducted H NMR studies on s5movial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Tbe nature of the nontransferrin-bound iron in the synovial fluid of patients with inflammatory joint disease was investigated. Transferrin is an iron ion transport protein. In these patients the synovial fluid contains non-transferrin-bound iron which appears to be in low-molecular-mass, redox-active complexes of unknown type. This form of iron has the adverse effect of stimulating free-radical lipid peroxidations involving oxygen. 500 MHz spin-echo H NMR spectroscopy was used to show that the incubation of patient synovial fluid with the powerful Fe(III)... 

Ova -pr(xiucti(m of nitrogen and oxygen free radicals, inflammatory cytokines, prostaglandins and leukotrienes has hem implicated in die etiol<)gy of many inflammat( y diseases, su( as arthritis and ulcerative colitis. For joint destmction in osteoarthritis, nitric oxide (NO), TNFa, IL-ip and COX-2, have beoi r arded as targets fiir tha peutics (5). 

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