Oxidative stress markers: specificity and measurement techniques.

With time, increasing evidence has been obtained of the involvement of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of several diseases and ageing. Likewise, a large number of epidemiological studies have suggested that some pathologies can be prevented or delayed to some extent by dietary changes such as increased consumption of fruits, grains and vegetables. The above mentioned studies have suggested that the measurement of oxidative stress status, coupled to measurement of antioxidant status, may serve a role in diagnosis and/or treatment. The objective of this paper is to provide a review which, owing to the extent of the available literature, is obviously not exhaustive of current and most recent methods employed for the determination of the most specific markers of DNA, lipid and protein oxidative damage.