Zhu Hong, Traore Kassim, Santo Arben, Trush Michael A, Li Y Robert
CUSOM, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC 27506, USA.
EVCOM, Virginia Tech CRC, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA.
React Oxyg Species (Apex). 2016 Jan;1(1):1-8. doi: 10.20455/ros.2016.801.
Molecular dioxygen (O) is an essential element of aerobic life, yet incomplete reduction or excitation of O during aerobic metabolisms generates diverse oxygen-containing reactive species, commonly known as reactive oxygen species (ROS). On the one hand, ROS pose a serious threat to aerobic organisms via inducing oxidative damage to cellular constituents. On the other hand, these reactive species, when their generation is under homeostatic control, also play important physiological roles (e.g., constituting an important component of immunity and participating in redox signaling). This article defines oxygen and the key facts about oxygen, and discusses the relationship between oxygen and the emergence of early animals on Earth. The article then describes the discovery of oxygen by three historical figures and examines the birth of the concepts of oxygen toxicity and the underlying free radical mechanisms. The article ends with a brief introduction to the emerging field of ROS-mediated redox signaling and physiological responses.
分子态双原子氧（O₂）是需氧生命的必需元素，然而在有氧代谢过程中，O₂的不完全还原或激发会产生多种含氧活性物质，通常称为活性氧（ROS）。一方面，ROS通过对细胞成分造成氧化损伤，对需氧生物构成严重威胁。另一方面，当这些活性物质的生成处于稳态控制之下时，它们也发挥着重要的生理作用（例如，构成免疫的重要组成部分并参与氧化还原信号传导）。本文定义了氧以及关于氧的关键事实，并讨论了氧与地球上早期动物出现之间的关系。接着文章描述了三位历史人物对氧的发现，并探讨了氧毒性概念的诞生及其潜在的自由基机制。文章最后简要介绍了ROS介导的氧化还原信号传导和生理反应这一新兴领域。
