Reactive oxygen species and drug therapy for inflammatory diseases

To understand drug action on R.O.S., it helps to distinguish effects on the one hand that are anti-radical/anti-peroxide etc. (where a drug such as phenylbutazone may be fairly potent) from other effects that are anti-lipoperoxide. The same drug may show variable activity, depending on conditions pertaining e.g. 'peroxide tone', what activates cellular R.O.S. production etc. We still lack useful/acceptable clinical criteria to effectively monitor the performance of antioxidants in vivo. Without these, we cannot formulate guidelines for adding antioxidants to (or withdrawing them from) the overall therapy for sustained inflammatory disorders.