Lipid Peroxidation: Kinetics, Mechanisms, and Products

Recent advances in our understanding of lipid peroxidation, a degenerative process that is believed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, are highlighted. In particular, the factors that control the kinetics and regio-/stereochemical outcomes of the autoxidation of both polyunsaturated fatty acids and sterols and the subsequent decomposition of the hydroperoxide products to cytotoxic derivatives are discussed. These advances promise to help clarify the role of lipid peroxidation in cell death and human disease.