Biological redox activity: Its importance, methods for its quantification and implication for health and disease

Cellular redox phenomena are involved in numerous biochemical pathways and play a key role in many pathological events and clinical situations. The overall oxidation/reduction (redox) state present in biological compartments is a major target for possible pharmaceutical intervention and, consequently, the processes associated with its change have attracted increased attention in recent years. This overview describes the methods for evaluating the concentrations of redox active compounds and their redox activity and the methods for evaluating the overall biological fluids and tissues redox capacity, with a focus on the redox potential parameter, its modulation, its measurement, and its importance for diagnosis and treatment. Examples of voltammetric measurement of reducing power profiles of biological tissues and fluids in healthy and disease states are discussed. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.