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Home Q & A Board Biology-Related Homework Help Cell Biology
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shawn-dog shawn-dog
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9 years ago
why are free radicals so dangerous to cells? How ae the dealt with by the body?
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9 years ago
Free radicals are atoms/molecules with an unpaired number of electrons. This makes them highly reactive and they can start a chain reaction. The real danger for cells and the body comes in when these free radicals react with cellular components, for example with DNA. This can influence the working of the cell or even stop the cells activity completely. Because these free radicals form on natural basis (for example UV light enhances the formation of free radicals) the body has a defence meganism of antioxidants. These molecules bond with the free radicals and form, stop the chain reaction before any damage is done and form a unharmful molecule. Vitamine C for example is one of the most common antioxidants.
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padrepadre
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9 years ago
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These free radicals are dangerous because they damage or oxidize molecules and cells throughout the body. This damage is called oxidative stress. Therefore, they have the potential to induce scarring within ones veins by damaging the epithelial cells that make up the veins (we know this as a plaque). When a free radical oxidizes a fatty acid, for instance, it changes that fatty acid into a free radical, which then damages another fatty acid.                 
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