CONCEPTS AND MISCONCEPTS REGARDING THE NATURE OF THE OXYGEN FREE-RADICALS IN THE LIVING SYSTEMS

This lecture will survey the history of the free-radical research in biological systems starting from the original concept of D. Harman formed during the late fifties. This original concept has undergone a series of misinterpretations during the subsequent decades, leading to a number of contradictions in the theory and the applications if this idea in biology and medicine. At last a tentative explanation will be presented on the basis of the real physicochemical properties of the oxygen free-radicals and the macromolecules involved in the biological functions.