A free radical is any atom or molecule that has lost an electron and consequently has a positive electric charge, making it highly volatile. Most of this kind of damage is caused by oxygen radicals that react with vital cellular components. Oxidative damage to DNA may be particularly deleterious, because in nonreplicating cells such as in the brain and musculature, it causes permanent damage to transcriptional, and perhaps most important, regulatory regions of the genome. Although the detailed role and extent of oxidative damage in aging remains unclear, it has stimulated a mini-industry of
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