Date Thesis Awarded

5-2011

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Science (BS)

Department

Chemistry

Advisor

Lisa M. Landino

Committee Members

Gary Rice

Lizabeth Allison

Abstract

Oxidative stress occurs in cells when there is an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the ability of antioxidants to remove them. Under normal conditions, ROS are necessary and an integral part of a cell's redox signaling pathways. However, at high concentrations, ROS have the potential to cause oxidative damage. Typically, cells are able to combat the deleterious effects of oxidants by employing antioxidant defenses, which include enzymes and small molecules. When antioxidants are not present in high enough concentrations, oxidative damage to biological molecules such as proteins, DNA, RNA, lipids, and carbohydrates can occur. Antioxidants become overwhelmed by ROS, and the system is said to be under oxidative stress. Accumulation of oxidative damage plays a role in aging and is the underlying cause of many diseases, including heart disease, many neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, cancer, and inflammatory diseases. Understanding the causes and effects of oxidative modifications to biomolecules is essential to understanding many diseases and the aging process.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Comments

Thesis is part of Honors ETD pilot project, 2008-2013. Migrated from Dspace in 2016.

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