A STUDY ON ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF DIFFERENT BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS

Abstract

Free radicals induce damage mainly to biomembranes and DNA due to peroxidation, which lead to tissue damage resulting in number of degenerative diseases. Antioxidants can neutralise the effect of these free radicals through various ways and may protect the body from harmful alterations. Antioxidants may be of different types viz. enzymatic, non-enzymatic and also found from plant sources. Nowadays, numerous synthetic antioxidant supplements are also found in the market. The antioxidative potential of samples can be assayed by different in vitro and in vivo methods. The present review describes a brief account of the free radical generation, their role in aging and other diseases, classification of antioxidants, their natural and synthetic sources, possible mechanism and several assay methods of free radical scavenging activity of different bioactive compounds.