Radicals trioxide formation mechanism

In humans, age-related differences have been observed in metabolism of sulfite to sulfate and in formation of sulfur trioxide (Constantin et al. 1996). Constantin et al. (1996) measured sulfur trioxide radicals and sulfite oxidase activity in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) from four groups young adults (average age 25), older adults (average age 65), 3 centenarians (older than 100), and Down syndrome patients. They found significantly increased amounts of sulfur trioxide radicals in PMNs from healthy adults who had low sulfite oxidase activity. In centenarians and Down syndrome patients, generation of the sulfur trioxide radical was the primary mechanism for detoxification of sulfite. There was no correlation between the sulfur trioxide radical and sulfite oxidase activity. 

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