Antioxidants

The use of antioxidants is based on the binding of free radicals - reactive compounds with an unpaired electron to the process of metabolism, the amount of which increases with age (hypothesis Harman, 1956-1968). These radicals, damaging the high-molecular compounds of chromatin (DNA, RNA), collagen and other proteins, causing lipid peroxidation of cell membranes, can disrupt the body's metabolism. In mammals, there is a powerful antioxidant system, which regulates the action of free radicals, but with age the efficiency of the system decreases.

To test his hypothesis, D. Harman, investigated a number of antioxidants on the short lines of mice (ie with a fixed hereditary disorders). Effect of slowing the aging was small.

The most effective antioxidant - slows aging mercaptoethylamine at 26% and butiloksitoluol - 45%, mainly due to slowing down the development of tumors, the maximum life span of animals was not increased. Under the influence of these antioxidants in mice of long-lived and disease-resistant lines were not observed prolongation of life. It is concluded that antioxidants slow the aging process.

LK Obukhova (1975) carried out numerous experiments on mice of short lines. We used 2-mercaptoethylamine, epigid, ionol, etoksihin, dimethylaminoethanol, tsentrofenoksin and other antioxidants. Exposure began at a young, middle-aged and older animals. It is shown that the life expectancy after exposure was increased by 11-26%.

On other lines of animals in experiments using ascorbic acid, glutathione, tocopherol, sulfur-containing amino acids revealed no effect of these antioxidants on aging. In the experiments of other authors influence of tocopherol, ascorbic acid, methionine ionol and led to accelerated aging animals.

Many studies on invertebrates (nematodes, insects, etc.) has been established that the effect of antioxidants decreases with age and in old animals they have no effect on aging.

Some antioxidants (vitamins C, E, A) uses of gerontology. There are observations that the effects of ascorbic acid in humans after 75 years there was an increase in long-term statistical life expectancy of up to 102 months with a duration of 70 months in the control group.
Analysis of collected data for the study of antioxidants leads to the conclusion that with antioxidants is not possible to significantly slow down the aging process and increase the maximum life expectancy. However, many of them are official agents and are effective for different diseases, are necessary for normal functioning of the body and health. Therefore, the use of antioxidants is justified and to increase the average person. Antioxidants are currently used in medicine extensively.