ABSTRACT
Free radicals are capable of attacking the healthy cells of the body, causing them to lose their structure and function. Damage to cells caused by free radicals is believed to play a central role in the aging process and disease progression. Antioxidants are the first line of defense against free radical damage, and are critical for maintaining optimum health and wellbeing. The need for antioxidants becomes even more critical with increased exposure to free radicals. Exposure to pollution, cigarette smoke, drugs, illness, stress, sunlight, and even exercise can increase the free radical exposure. As so many factors can contribute to oxidative stress, individual assessment of susceptibility becomes important [1]. Potentially effective antioxidants involve thiol-containing compounds. These compounds play a central role in many biochemical and pharmacological reactions. Disulfide bonds play an important role in determining the tertiary structure of proteins, and in many drugs the cysteine moiety is an important reactive center that determines their effects. Molecules containing cysteine residues are among the most easily modifiable compounds, being easily oxidized by transition metals or participating in thiol-disulfide exchange [2].
