Over two centuries ago, oxygen was discovered as "air vital": the component of the earth's atmosphere necessary for life. Less than five years after this discovery, it was found that oxygen was both a life-sustaining and life threatening inhalant as it plays a role in the two extremes of the animal kingdom: life and death. In the subse quent years, we have made major strides in understanding the role of oxygen in maintaining life and volumes of information are now available on this topic. Our knowledge of the contribution of oxygen in cellular dysfunction and cell death which for the most part had lagged behind has begun to catch up. The deleterious ef fects of oxygen radicals and activated oxygen species on a variety of biological systems have now been described. Recently attention has also been focused on the toxic effects of oxygen on the cardiovascular system. The major aim of the present treatise is to offer an integrated view of the pathophysiological aspects of oxygen toxicity in the heart and blood vessels coupled with a review of therapeutic approaches (hopes?) with free radical scavengers and antioxidants. Internationally known expert investigators provide a concise and critical review on the topic of their expertise which also contains data from their own research.

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1. The Biology of Oxygen Radicals: Threats and Defenses.- 2. Biological Systems Which Suppress Lipid Peroxidatio.- 3. Contrasting Features of Peroxide Metabolism in Heart and Liver.- 4. Free Radical and Iron-Mediated Injury in Lysosomes.- 5. Myocardial Effects of Partially Reduced Forms of Oxygen.- 6. Oxygen Radical Mediated Protein Oxidation in Heart.- 7. Cardiac Defense Mechanisms against Oxidative Damage: The Role of Superoxide Dismutase and Glutathione-Related Enzymes.- 8. The Role of Oxygen Free Radicals during the Course of Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury: An Analysis and Critique.- 9. The Role of the Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte in Mediating Myocardial Reperfusion Injury.- 10. Alterations of Glutathione Status during Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion.- 11. Alterations in Membrane Phospholipids, Mechanisms of Free Radical Damage and Antioxidant Protection during Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion.- 12. The Measurement of Conjugated Dienes in Ischemic and Reperfused Myocardium.- 13. Xanthine Oxidase is not Likely to be a Source of Injurious Free Radicals in the Ischemic Human Heart: A Study of Species Differences.- 14. Role of Oxy-Radicals in Postischemic Myocardial Dysfunction.- 15. Acute Effects of Antioxidants on in Vivo Models of Experimental Myocardial Ischemia and Infarction.- 16. Do Free Radicals Contribute to the Genesis of Reperfusion-Induced Arrhythmias?.- 17. Importance of Electron Transfer through Allopurinol in Protection from Reperfusion Injury.- 18. Role of Antioxidants in Hypoxia-Reoxygenation Injury in the Heart and in Cardiac Myocytes.- 19. The Role of Lipid Peroxidation in the Myocardium in Stress and Antioxidant Protection of the Heart.- 20. Reactive Oxygen Radical Processes in Diabetes.- 21. Anthracycline-Enhanced Cardiac Oxygen Radical Metabolism.- 22. Contributions of Leukocytes to Vascular Injury and Thrombosis.