Sources of marine superoxide dismutases: Characteristics and applications.

The ability of marine organism to cope with oxidative stress is one of the main factors that influence its survival in the marine environment, when senescence conditions prevail. The antioxidative defense system includes enzymatic and non-enzymatic components. Among the enzymatic system, superoxide dismutases are the first and most important of the antioxidant metalloenzymes. Four different types of metal centers have been detected in SODs, dividing this family into Cu/Zn, Ni, Mn and Fe-SODs. Its use was limited to non-drug applications in humans (include: cosmetic, food, agriculture, and chemical industries) and drug applications in animals. This paper is a review of the recent literatures on sources of marine SODs, the need for SOD and different applications in industry, covering the last decades. The most recent paper, patents and reviews on characterization and application are reviewed.