Advances in the development of pharmaceutical antioxidants

This chapter attempts to narrow the gap where antioxidant pharmacology meets with organic chemistry. It is intended to serve as a reference to substances that have been described, designed, or developed as therapeutically relevant antioxidants. It is obvious that the present contribution cannot cover more than a limited number of examples of antioxidants from the large variety of structural classes that have been studied as possible drug candidates. For this purpose, it most fruitful to cover compounds that have emerged from in vitro experimentation and structure–activity studies. The chapter discusses antioxidant effects in molecular and structural terms. The synthetic compounds have been classified chemically, rather than by therapeutic area, as the latter, in most instances, is a matter of the preference of the researchers rather than inherent properties of the substances. Some ranges regarding dose or concentration have been included to indicate the approximate potencies of compounds, especially when standard in vitro assays have been utilized. The enzyme systems that are devoted to detoxification of reactive and potentially pathological oxygen metabolites have also been thoroughly treated by others, and will be mentioned to provide a basis for the discussion of synthetic enzyme mimics. The chapter attempts to present the various conceivable approaches that are at hand for attenuating oxidative tissue injury and the harmful effects that are ascribed to free radicals.