Antioxidant Activity of 1,2,4-Triazole and its Derivatives: A Mini-Review

The information about the presence of free radicals in biological materials was given for the first time about 70 years ago. Since then, numerous scientific studies have been conducted and the science of free radicals was introduced. Today we know that free radicals are by-products of enzymatic reactions occurring in the organism. They are produced during endogenous processes such as cell respiration, phagocytosis, biosynthesis, catalysis, and biotransformation. They can also be produced by exogenous processes (radiation, sunlight, heavy metals, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses). The overproduction of free radicals affects the aging processes, Oxidative Stress (OS) and takes part in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Among them are cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer and Parkinson, pulmonary diseases, atherosclerosis, and DNA damage. Compounds with antioxidant activity are very important nowadays because they allow organisms to keep a balance between the production of free radicals and the speed of their neutralization in the body. Next to the natural antioxidants (flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamins, etc.), synthetic ones are also of great importance. Among synthetic compounds with antioxidant activity are 1,2,4-triazoles and their derivatives. 1,2,4-Triazoles are heterocyclic compounds with three nitrogen atoms. Due to a broad spectrum of biological activities, these derivatives have been of interest to scientists for many years. Some of them are also used as drugs. The finding of new synthetic compounds with antioxidant features in the triazole group has become an important problem of medicinal chemistry.