Free radicals and oxidative stress in neurodegenerative disorders

Abstract

Oxidative stress (OS) leading to free radical attack on neural cells contributes calamitous role to neurodegeneration. Free radicals are produced either endogenously (by metabolism and antioxidant system of the body) or exogenously (by environmental sources) by imbalance between antioxidant and prooxidant in the body. In-built antioxidant system of body plays critical role in prevention of any loss due to free radicals. However, imbalanced defense mechanism of antioxidants, overproduction, or incorporation of free radicals from environment to living system leads to serious penalty leading to neurodegeneration. This chapter discusses the role of free radicals in pathophysiology of some common neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.