ABSTRACT
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an antioxidant enzyme of great importance for the regulation
of free radical-mediated processes in biological systems. The discovery of SOD or more
exactly, the identification of erythrocuprein as a superoxide-dismuting enzyme by McCord
and Fridovich [1] in 1969 was a pivotal step in the development of free radical studies in
biology. Literature on SOD is overwhelming. At present about 24,000 references are cited in
Medline, three books entitled Superoxide Dismutase (edited by L.W. Oberley) have been
published by CRC Press from 1982 to 1985, and five International Conferences on Super-
oxide and Superoxide Dismutase have been held until 1989. Now, we will consider just the
latest findings relevant to the mechanisms of antioxidant and prooxidant activities of SODs
and their biological role.
