Plasma marker of tissue oxidative damage and edaravone as a scavenger drug against peroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite.

The percentage of the plasma oxidized form of coenzyme Q10 in the total amount of coenzyme Q10 (%CoQ) is a useful marker of oxidative stress in the circulation. Plasma free fatty acids and their composition can be used as markers of tissue oxidative damage, as demonstrated in patients suffering from a wide variety of diseases and in humans and rats under oxidative stress. Edaravone was approved for the treatment of stroke in Japan in 2001 and its mechanism of action is based on scavenging lipid peroxyl radicals. In 2015, edaravone was also approved for the treatment of ALS patients. Edaravone functions therapeutically as a scavenger of peroxynitrite, as demonstrated by the finding that its administration raises plasma uric acid levels and decreases 3-nitrotyrosine in cerebrospinal fluid.