This book provides a comprehensive treatise on the chemical and biochemical consequences of damaging free radical reactions, the implications for the pathogenesis of disease and how this might be controlled endogenously and by radical scavenging drugs. Oxidative stress may be influenced by exogenous agents of oxidative stress, radiation, trauma, drug activation, oxygen excess, or by exogenous oxidative stress which is associated with many pathological states including chronic inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular disease, injury to the central nervous system, and connective tissue damage. This and many other such aspects are presented clearly and in depth.

The development of antioxidant drugs depends on the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the generation of excessive free radicals "in vivo," the factors controlling their release and the site of their action. This excellent volume presents an up-to-date account of the current state of knowledge in these areas.

Free radical species are generally short-lived due to their high reactivity and thus direct measurement and identification are often impossible. ESR is the only technique which has the potential for direct detection of radicals but in biological systems even these must be trapped by a spin-trapping agent. Thus most investigations involve recognition of indicators of the presence of radicals in vivo or "FOOTPRINTS" of radical-mediated damage.

"Techniques in Free Radical Research" assembles and critically assesses the most relevant and reliable experimental approaches used towards the measurement of radicals and radical-mediated damage in chemical systems, in cells and in tissues under the following six headings: a) Footprints of DNA damage, b) Footprints of protein damage, c) Footprints of lipid peroxidation, d) Footprints of antioxidant consumption, e) Footprints via indirect radical assays, and f) Footprints via the availability of transition metal complexes.