ContinuingEducationModuleTimothyJ.Maher,Ph.D.SawyerProfessorofPharmaceuticalSciencesDean,ResearchandSponsoredProgramsProfessorofPharmacologyMassachusettsCollegeofPharmacyandHealthSciencesThismodulewasproducedinassociationwithMassachusettsCollegeofPharmacyandHealthSciencesxAugust2000ThismoduleisapprovedfortwocreditstowardaNewHopeInstituteofRetailingCertificateofCompletioninNaturalHealing.Thismoduleisapprovedforonecontacthour(0.1CEUs)ofcontinuingpharmaceuticaleducationcredit.MassachusettsCollegeofPharmacyandHealthSciencesisapprovedbytheAmericanCouncilonPharmaceuticalEducationasaproviderofcontinuingpharmaceuticaleducation,ACPE#026-999-00-117-H01.ThismoduleisapprovedfortwocontacthoursofcontinuingeducationcreditbyAmericanHealthScienceUniversity/NINE.Tobegivencredit,theCN®mustsubmitacopyofthemoduleandtesttoAHSU/NINE.NaturalHealingTrackThismodulewasmadepossiblebyanunrestrictedgrantfromHealthPlusInc.andLaHayeLaboratories,whichsupportscontinuingeducationforthenaturalproductsindustry.Themodulewaspeerreviewedbypharmacistsandotherlicensedhealthcareprofessionals.AstaxanthinOxygenandAntioxidantsAsaerobicorganismswedependcom-pletelyonmolecularoxygenforourexis-tence;justafewminuteswithoutoxygenusuallyresultsinirreversibledamageordeath.Ourfriendlyatmosphereusuallyprovidesampleoxygenviatheairwebreathe,andevenarelativelysmalldecreaseintheair’soxygencontenthasnoticeableeffects.Forinstance,whentravelingfromsealeveltohighaltitudeswheretheoxygencontentisslightlylower,mostindividualswillfindtasksrequiringevenminimalexertionmuchmoredifficult.Evenhighlytrainedath-leteswillfindperformanceintheireventsagreaterchallengeathighaltitudes.Althoughoxygenisabsolutelycriticalforlife,thismoleculealsohasadarksidetoitsactions.Oxygenisfoundinalargenumberofharmfulby-productsthatareconstantlybeingproducedanddefendedagainstbyhealthyorganisms.Theseso-calledreactive-oxygenspecies(ROS)containreducedoxygenmoleculesinclud-ingfreeradicalssuchasthesuperoxide,hydroxylandperoxylradicalsandnon-radicalssuchasozone,lipidperoxides,hydrogenperoxide,andsingletoxygen.1Additionally,anumberofnitrogencom-poundscontainingoxygen,suchasnitricoxideandperoxynitrite,alsoareextreme-lyharmful.Manyofthesecompoundsaresohighlyenergeticthattheyreactalmostinstantlywithmanyneighboringmole-culessuchasproteins,DNA,RNA,car-bohydratesandlipids.Theconsequenceofsuchoxidativeattackmayincludepro-teinoxidation,DNAandRNAdamage,andlipidperoxidation.Evensmallalter-ationstosomeofthesebasicmoleculesoflifewouldbeexpectedtohavedireconse-quences.Thisconstantattackagainstthebody,knownasoxidativestress,iscontinuouslycounteredbymechanismsdesignedtoneutralizesuchdamageandpreventdis-easesthatmightbeassociatedwithsuchinsult(Table1).Whilecertainrepairenzymescansometimesreversethedam-ageproducedbytheROS,theabilityofantioxidantstoneutralizetheROSpriortoinducingdamageisanextremelyimportantdefensemechanismthathelpstosupportahealthyexistenceandmostlikelypreventsdisease.2,3DuringthelastdecadetherehasbeenatremendousamountofinterestintherolesROSandoxidativestressmightplayinthedevelop-mentandprogressionofanumberofneurodegenerativediseasesincludingAlzheimer’s,amyotrophiclateralsclerosis(LouGerhig’s)andParkinson’sdiseases,aswellasmaculardegeneration.Manyotherdiseasessuchasatherosclerosis,cataracts,cancer,cerebrovasculardisor-ders,multiplesclerosis,bacterialandviralmeningiti...
