ABSTRACT
Humans are impacted by many free radicals both from inside the body and surrounding environment, particularly reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in living organisms during metabolism. It is produced in the forms of H2O2, superoxide radical, hydroxyl radical, and nitric oxide. In addition, oxidative stress may cause inadvertent enzyme activation and oxidative damage to cellular systems. Free radicals attack macromolecules such as DNA, proteins, and lipids, leading to many health disorders including hypertensive, cardiovascular, inflammatory, aging, diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative and cancer diseases. Antioxidants may have a positive effect on human health as they can protect human body against deterioration by free radicals (Butterfield et al., 2002).
