Resumo

CISNEROS PREGO, Elio; PUPO BALBOA, Judith  e  CESPEDES MIRANDA, Ela. Enzimas que participan como barreras fisiológicas para eliminar los radicales libres: III. Glutatión peroxidasa. Rev Cubana Invest Bioméd [online]. 1997, vol.16, n.1, pp.10-15. ISSN 0864-0300.

The glutathione peroxidase is one of the enzymes that takes part in the transformations of reactive oxygen species, catalyzing the reduction of peroxide or lipoperoxide. The reduced glutathione is used as a reductor agent. This enzyme plays an important role in the antioxidant defense due to its localization in every organ and tissue as part of the glutathione antioxidant system. Because of this reason, it is involved in the physiopathology of several diseases. The most important aspects of its structural and functional characteristics as well as its biological role in the physiopathology of some diseases are approached in the present paper.

Palavras-chave : FREE RADICALS; GLUTATHIONE PEROXIDASE [chemistry]; REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES.