Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 23, 2026

Free Radicals in Chemical Biology: from Chemical Behavior to Biomarker Development
Published on: April 15, 2013
Oxidative influence on development and differentiation: an overview of a free radical theory of development
1Laboratory for Investigative Dermatology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021.
Abstract:
Metabolic gradients exist in developing organisms and are believed to influence development. It has been postulated that the effects of these gradients on development result from differential oxygen supplies to tissues. Oxygen has been found to influence the course of development. Cells and tissues in various stages of differentiation exhibit discrete changes in their antioxidant defenses and in parameters of oxidation. Metabolically generated oxidants have been implicated as one factor that directs the initiation of certain developmental events. Also implicated as factors that modulate developmental processes are the cellular distribution of ions and the cytoskeleton both of which can be influenced by oxidants. The interaction of oxidants with ion balance and cytoskeleton is discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Radical Formation: Overview
Radicals from spin-paired molecules:
Radicals can be obtained from spin-paired molecules either by homolysis or electron transfer. While two radicals are formed in the former, an electron is added in the latter, also known...
Radical Reactivity: Overview
Radical Autoxidation
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Redox Reactions
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns

