Redox-active cellular constituents

There is great interest in the mechanisms of cell death since better understanding might lead to therapy that slows the rate of aging and prevents or treats human disease. Two major processes of cell death have been described, apoptosis and neaosis other alternative pathways generally are variations of these (Formigli et al, 2000 Sperandio et al, 2000 Reed, 1999). Some of the intracellular events related to these types of death have been discovered (Reed, 2000). After exposure to noxious stimuli, the balance between antiapoptotic and proapoptotic influences can result in either survival or death. Many of these variable influences and the subsequent downstream concatenated events involve oxidation, which targets cellular components such as DNA, cellular proteins and membrane phospholipids. Our laboratory and others have studied the role of the redox-active cellular constituents nitric oxide ( NO) and membrane phospholipid... 

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