Premium
Plant defenses against oxidative stress
Author(s) -
Larson Richard A.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
archives of insect biochemistry and physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.576
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1520-6327
pISSN - 0739-4462
DOI - 10.1002/arch.940290207
Subject(s) - catalase , radical , reactive oxygen species , oxidative stress , superoxide dismutase , antioxidant , singlet oxygen , biochemistry , carotenoid , hydroxyl radical , chemistry , dna damage , biology , enzyme , sulfur , free radical theory of aging , oxygen , organic chemistry , dna
Many reactive oxygen species such as ozone, singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical, and organic oxyradicals have been implicated in damage to plant organs and biopolymers such as chloroplasts, cell membranes, proteins, and DNA. The principal defenses against these reactive molecules and free radicals in plants include detoxifying enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, etc.) and also lower molecular weight secondary products with antioxidant activity. These latter compounds include a great variety of phenolic compounds, carotenoids, nitrogenous, and sulfur‐containing materials. Some of the more important mechanisms of action of the secondary compounds will be discussed, with emphasis on the use of structural and kinetic data to identify the most effective antioxidants against peroxy radical‐induced damage, which is perhaps the most important of the oxidative stresses present in the usual environment of plants. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.