KING JAMES MEDICAL LABORATORY, INC.

TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT STATUS (TAS)

Introduction:

Free radicals have been implicated in numerous human diseases including cancer, heart disease, lung disease, eye disorders, inflammatory disease, rheumatoid arthritis and the aging process. Free radicals are formed in the human body during normal cellular metabolism and after exposure to any of the following agents UV light, gamma radiation, environmental pollutants (such as metals and xenobiotics) and cigarette smoke.  For more information on free radicals section of this web site.

Antioxidant systems are capable of removing free radicals, thereby providing protection from free radical attack from such destructive molecules as H₂O₂ and the RO^., ROO^. and O₂^. radicals.  

Three main groups of antioxidants make up the antioxidant defense system. These include the primary, secondary, and tertiary defense. The TAS test measures the total antioxidant effect of these three defense systems in circulation. The three systems are as follows:

• Primary antioxidants work by preventing the formation of new free radical species. These include superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and metal-binding proteins (e.g. ferritin or ceruloplasmin).
• Secondary antioxidants trap radicals thereby preventing chain reactions. Examples include Vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene, uric acid, bilirubin, and albumin.
• Tertiary antioxidants repair biomolecules damaged by free radicals. These include DNA repair enzymes.

The test is designed to measure all of the antioxidants present in the specimen by their abilities to inhibit a specific enzymatic oxidation reaction. The assay response is standardized against the antioxidant standard Trolox.

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Copyright © 1997 King James Medical Laboratory, Inc.
Last modified: December 03, 1998