摘要：Free radicals and peroxides are involved in physiological phenomena such as synthesis of prostaglandin
and thromboxanes and are thought to participate in aging process. Free radicals are also responsible for the pathogenesis
of various diseases like atherosclerosis, inflammatory diseases and malignancies etc. The objective of the present
work was to investigate the possible role of free radicals in aging process by studying age related changes in lipid
peroxidation and in certain antioxidant enzymes like xanthine oxidase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase
and glutathione. The level of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant initiating enzyme xanthine oxidase and antioxidant
scavenging enzymes like superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione was estimated in 300 healthy
male and females ranging in age from 15 to 65 years. The level of xanthine oxidase enzyme and lipid peroxidation
was significantly increased while the levels of antioxidant defense enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione
peroxidase and glutathione were deceased significantly in plasma with the increase of age. Our observations are
suggesting that old age is associated with an increase in systematic oxidative stress.
