Free radical effects on membrane protein in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Free radical generation may be the principal pathogenic factor responsible for the initiation of ischemia/reperfusion myocardial cell damage. Circumstantial evidence is in favour of the view that impaired function of the membraneous components of ischemic cells is associated with oxygen radical-induced alterations in proteins and lipids. Thus, lipid antioxidants and free radical scavengers as well as antagonists of protein modification may all be required for therapeutic intervention of this aspect of ischemia/reperfusion injury.