Molecules are composed of atoms bonded together, which is accomplished by the sharing of electrons.
When two atoms come together and their electrons pair up, a bond is created. Such electron pairs are stable; nearly 100% of all electrons in the body exist in a paired state. When a chemical bond between two atoms is broken, the electrons can stay with one atom or the other, or they can split up. If one atom captures both electrons it will develop a negative charge, while the other atom will develop a positive charge. Both of these charged atoms are now free radicals.
The forces that disrupt chemical bonds include radiation such as ultraviolet light, infra-red rays, radiation from the earth’s core, and cosmic rays. The disruptive forces also include other chemicals, termed toxins.
Among these toxins are gases (carbon monoxide, manganese fumes, ozone), chemicals (arsenic, cyanide, mercury), substances released by invading bacteria and fungi, and chemicals generated in your cells, especially in your mitochondria. The resulting free radicals may have short or long existences; some can last a lifetime, many exist for less than five seconds, and some for only a hundredth of a microsecond.
To appreciate the importance of free radicals and to understand the magnitude of the change they produce in each of your 100 billion neurons, it is only necessary to cut an apple and expose it to air. The iron in the apple interacts with oxygen in the air and the apple “rusts.” It’s disconcerting to think so, but something similar happens when the iron, stored as co-factors for vital enzymes in our cells, and the fat that composes the vital membranes of our cells, are exposed to reactive oxygen species.
In each of the 100 billion neurons in our brain, and each of the 20 to 1,000 mitochondria in each neuron, a constant struggle is waged every second between the cell’s need to generate energy and its vulnerability to the toxic products created by this need.
Numerous antioxidants are marketed as nutritional supplements, and naturally people wonder which antioxidant is best or most powerful. Technically, if it were known that one antioxidant was more selective for a particular free radical, and that the particular antioxidant could readily reach the cell, enter it and inactivate the free radical, then an antioxidant as “a guided missile” could be delivered to the cell.
Unfortunately, at present, we lack such a “guided missile.” In trying to devise a rational scheme for their use, research has focused on those antioxidants that play a role in the efficient functioning of the mitochondria, the power plants of the cell. Among the most promis-ing are the following:
The “B” Vitamins. Although they are not antioxidants, they are needed for operation of the citric acid cycle and the electron transport system. B vitamins include thiamin (B-1), riboflavin (B-2), niacin (B-3), pantothenic acid (B-5), pyridoxine (B-6), biotin (B-7), and cyanocobalamin (B-12). Folic acid and vitamin B-12 are needed for a healthy nervous system.
A combina-tion of vitamin B-6, folic acid and vitamin B-12 reduces homocysteine levels. Homocysteine, an amino acid, may be a risk factor for heart attack and stroke, and may be increased in PD patients on levodopa/ carbidopa. As vitamin B-6, in doses of 50 mg or more per day, may decrease the absorption of levodopa, B-complex vitamins should be taken at night, 4 hours between the last and the next dose of levodopa/carbidopa.
Vitamins C and E. Vitamin C is a major antioxidant. It may be especially effective against the highly reactive free radicals generated by oxygen and by metals such as copper, iron, and manganese. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that may be especially effective against the highly reactive free radicals generated by oxygen that attack the lipid layers of cell membranes.
Coenzyme Q10. Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant within the mitochondria that neutralizes many of the toxic free radicals generated by the normal functioning of the mitochondria. In doses of 1,200-2,400 mg per day, Coenzyme Q10 may slow the progression of PD. This is suggested by a single small study that is in the process of being corroborated.
Glutathione. Glutathione, a tripeptide, is a major intra-cellular antioxidant found in high concentrations inside nigral neurons. As PD progresses and the nigral neurons die, the concentration of glutathione decreases. It’s unknown at this time if this is a cause or a consequence of PD.
Alpha lipoic acid and acetyl L carnitine are antioxidants that “soak up” free radicals generated by the citrus acid cycle. In addition, alpha lipoic acid can chelate iron and copper to a degree, although there is no real proof that either antioxidant is helpful in treating PD.