Devasagayam T P, Kesavan P C
Biosciences Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay, India.
Indian J Exp Biol. 1996 Apr;34(4):291-7.
Caffeine, a major constituent of coffee and other beverages has significant abilities to scavenge highly reactive free radicals and excited states of oxygen and to protect crucial biological molecules against these species. This is one of the possible reasons why caffeine acts as a radioprotector against oxygen-dependent ('oxic') pathway of radiation damage and as an antimutagen/anticarcinogen under certain conditions. The possible physicochemical and molecular mechanisms of caffeine action are briefly reviewed in the light of the recent findings.
咖啡因是咖啡和其他饮品的主要成分，具有清除高活性自由基和氧激发态的显著能力，并能保护关键生物分子免受这些物质的侵害。这可能是咖啡因作为辐射防护剂抵御辐射损伤的氧依赖（“oxic”）途径以及在某些条件下作为抗诱变剂/抗癌剂的原因之一。根据最近的研究结果，简要回顾了咖啡因作用的可能物理化学和分子机制。
