Papel del hierro en la peroxidacíón de lípidos. Sistemas de protecciónantioxidantes naturales y sintéticos

Abstract

Iron-catalyzed lipid peroxidation is associated with diverse pathologies, such as the oxidative stress produced by xenobiotics, chronic inflammatory disorders, iron overload by ingestion or multiple blood transfusions, genetic haemochromatosis, etc. Lipid peroxidation is a complex process mediated by free radicals, whose mechanistic steps are well accepted. However, a number of questions, such as the role of iron in the peroxidation process, which are the initiator species and in which physiological or pathological conditions they are generated in vivo , remain still unresolved. Iron metabolism is also complex, and the Fe2+/Fe3+ redox potential, which is crucial in the initiation of lipid peroxidation, depends on the ligands to which the metal is binded. Thus, it is difficult to relate a determined iron status with its contribution to a metabolic disorder (oxidative stress) or an specific disease. In this work, the role of iron on lipid peroxidation and the most current proposals of its participation in the process are reviewed. The strategies of prevention of iron-catalyzed lipid peroxidation are also analyzed, the possible inhibition mechanisms being discussed.