Reactive oxygen species and the free radical theory of aging

The traditional view in the field of free radical biology is that free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are toxic, mostly owing to direct damage of sensitive and biologically significant targets, and are thus a major cause of oxidative stress; that complex enzymatic and nonenzymatic systems act in concert to counteract this toxicity; and that a major protective role is played by the phenomenon of adaptation. Another part of the traditional view is that the process of aging is at least partly due to accumulated damage done by these harmful species. However, recent workers in this and in related fields are exploring the view that superoxide radical and reactive oxygen species exert beneficial effects. Thus, such ROS are viewed as involved in cellular regulation by acting as (redox) signals, and their harmful effects are seen mostly as a result of compromised signaling, rather than due to direct damage to sensitive targets. According to some followers of this view, ROS such as hydrogen peroxide and superoxide are not just causative agents of aging but may also be agents that increase the life span by acting, for example, as prosurvival signals. The goal of this review is to recall that many of the effects of ROS that are interpreted as beneficial may actually represent adaptations to toxicity and that some of the most extravagant recent claims may be due to misinterpretation, oversimplification, and ignoring the wealth of knowledge supporting the traditional view. Whether it is time to abandon the free radical (oxidative stress) theory of aging is considered.