The History Of Antioxidant Development

In order to adapt to the evolution from marine life to terrestrial life, land plants began to produce antioxidants such as vitamin C, polyphenols and tocopherols that marine life did not have. Over the course of evolution between 50 and 200 million years ago, angiosperm plants developed many antioxidant natural pigments - especially during the Jurassic era - as a chemical means of defending against reactive oxygen species, a by-product of photosynthesis. class of substances. Originally, the term antioxidant specifically refers to the chemical substances that can prevent the consumption of oxygen. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, extensive research focused on the use of antioxidants in important industrial processes, such as protection against corrosion of metals, vulcanization of rubber, and fouling of internal combustion engines caused by fuel polymerization.
Early research on biological antioxidants focused on how to use antioxidants to avoid rancidity caused by oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids. Antioxidant activity can be measured simply by measuring the rate of oxidation of a piece of fat after placing it in an oxygenated airtight container. However, with the discovery and confirmation of vitamins A, C, and E, which have antioxidant effects, people have realized the importance of antioxidants playing biochemical roles in organisms. After realizing the fact that substances with antioxidant activity may themselves be easily oxidized, the exploration of the possible mechanism of action of antioxidants first began. By studying how vitamin E prevents lipid peroxidation, it is clarified that antioxidants, as reducing agents, react with active oxygen species to avoid damage to cells by active oxygen species and achieve the effect of anti-oxidation.