title: Role of oxidant species in aging.
abstract: Organisms are constantly exposed to many different forms of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species that damage proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, leading to loss of biological function. The possibility that reactive oxygen/nitrogen-mediated protein damage contributes to the aging process is supported by results of many studies showing that aging is associated with the accumulation of such protein damage. Summarized here are results of studies, showing that the accumulation of,protein damage is a complex function of a multiplicity of factors that govern the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, on the one hand, and a multiplicity of factors that govern the degradation and/or repair of damaged proteins, on the other. Basic mechanisms involved in the modification of proteins by various forms of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Building 50, Room 2140, 50 South Drive, MSC-8012, Bethesda, MD 20892-8012, USA. erstadtman@nih.gov
authors.forename: Earl R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Stadtman
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D030421:Peroxynitrous Acid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D030421:Peroxynitrous Acid; D009569:Nitric Oxide