Reactive oxygen species (ROS)

Like I have said before there are 3 kinds of products that together form the Group of the reactive oxygen species.
1. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
2. Free radicals
3. Oxygen ions
Hydrogen peroxide (known as a disinfectant) is made in small quantities inside the peroxisomes (a part of a cell). This product is very toxic. But it’s a very good oxidator. Your cells use hydrogen peroxide to oxidize toxic chemicals. That’s why there are so many peroxisomes inside your liver. Different enzymes e.g. catalase, D-amino acid oxidase and uric acid oxidase uses hydrogen peroxide to oxidize these toxic chemicals. The reaction products are water and the oxidized form of the toxic chemical. Catalase uses the hydrogen peroxide to oxidize toxic chemicals like phenols, formaldehyde and ethanol. When to much hydrogen peroxide is formed, catalase will convert it to oxygen and water. So, it protects the cell against toxic chemicals and hydrogen peroxide. Another important roll of the perosisome and hydrogen peroxide is to oxidize fatty acids and break then down to lengths of 2 carbon atoms.
The final product is acetyl-CoA. Acetyl-CoA is a very important product, it’s a part of your energy production system. Into your body is oxygen (O2) converted into superoxide (O2.-). Superoxide is a very bad molecule to be in your cells. So, your body uses superoxide dismutase (an enzyme) to convert it into hydrogen peroxide. Superoxide dismutates (SOD) exists in three forms SOD1 (present in the cytoplasm), SOD2 (present inside the mitochondrion’s) and SOD3 (present outside the cells). But hydrogen peroxide can react with some metal compounds e.g. iron(II) ion, iron(III) ion, some Ni, Co and Cr compounds to form free radicals. This is the reason why I advise you to stay away from iron supplements unless you have to take it from your physician (when you suffer from anemia). This reaction is called the fenton reaction:
H2O2 + Fe2+ à Fe3+ + OH. + OH-
H2O2 + Fe3+ à Fe2+ + OOH. + H+

Remember: the products with a point behind them are radicals.

One of the reasons why inflammation (this will be discussed later) is a bad thing, is because it releases iron in a free from inside your body. This iron reacts with hydrogen peroxide and produces free radicals.

In the next post we will talk about what you can do to protect your body against these reactive oxygen species and what supplements you have to combine.

Keep healthy

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Some extra info about the links between ROS, iron and cancer:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12396663&dopt=AbstractPlus