Preface

Oxidative stress is the imbalance between the production and the accumulation of free radical molecules, which are reactive oxygen species, in cells causing certain physiological effects and various diseases. Lipid peroxidation is a free radical-mediated chain of reactions involving the formation of lipid radicals and rearrangement of double bonds in unsaturated lipids. Lipid peroxidation is initiated and enhanced via several toxic products resulting in oxidative damage to polyunsaturated fatty acids in the cell membranes, which are the most common targets of cellular components.

When biological membranes are destroyed, a variety of breakdown products are produced that lead to cell death. Lipid peroxidation end products are cytotoxic products that cause covalent modification in cellular macromolecules. These macromolecules play important roles both in the development and the progression of many diseases via altering redox homeostasis.

This book provides information about lipid peroxidation and will help guide the development of potential therapeutic approaches to control the production of free radical-mediated generation of lipid peroxidation to combat human disease.

> **Pınar Atukeren** Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey
