Antioxidant Properties of Plastoquinone and Prospects of its Practical Application

Abstract

This review describes the properties of reactive oxygen species that determine their destructive impact on the tissues of animals and plants and also presents the mechanisms of formation of reactive oxygen species in these tissues. The importance of antioxidant protection of hydrophobic zones, first of all, lipid membranes, in living organisms is underlined. Pathological states initiated by violation of the membrane structure and composition, in particular, due to the toxic effect of cholesterol oxidation products are described; data on such states arising from oxidative processes in low-density lipoproteins are provided. The results of application of ubiquinone and plastoquinone derivatives as membrane antioxidants and regulators of the level of reactive oxygen species in tissues are presented. The advantages of natural plastoquinone as a lipid-soluble compound that protects cell components from oxidation are discussed.