ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the adverse effects or toxicology of some of the more prominent antioxidants. These include beta-carotene, vitamins A, C, and E, as well as copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc, which are considered essential nutrients. In animals the toxic effects of hypervitaminosis A can be antagonized by vitamin D and the growth retardation can be prevented or counteracted by high dietary doses of vitamin E. Vitamin toxicity may not be detected since many of the signs and symptoms of poisoning are similar to those that characterize the underlying condition for which the vitamin is taken. Although the physiological role of vitamin C remains to be completely defined, the failure to synthesize collagen in skin and bones, which leads to a weakening and failure of repair processes in the extracellular matrix, is associated with vitamin C deficiency. In vitamin E deficiency, membrane turnover may accelerate so that the normal order and compartmentalization of cells is destroyed.
