Free Radicals in Gastroenterology: A Review

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Abstract
Many exogenous and endogenous agents can disturb the delicate balance between oxygen free radical-generating and antioxidant mechanisms, thereby influencing all kinds of metabolic pathways. An increasing number of papers on free radical toxicity in gastroenterology and hepatology is published every year, and it is expected that the extensive research on the matter will yield important therapeutic consequences. Here we discuss the chemistry of oxygen free radical production, the process of lipid peroxidation, free radical-induced tissue injury and the antioxidant defense mechanisms. The role of free radicals in several gastroenterologic and hepatologic diseases is reviewed.