[Biochemical aspects of free radical mediated tissue injury]

A radical is any molecule that contains one or more unpaired electrons. Radicals are normally generated in many metabolic pathways. Some of these radicals can exist in a free form and subsequently interact with various tissue components resulting in dysfunction. The potential role of oxygen- and xenobiotic-derived free radical in the pathology of several human diseases has stimulated extensive research linking the toxicity of numerous xenobiotics and disease processes to a free radical mechanism.