Editing Antioxidant (section)

== History ==
As part of their adaptation from marine life, terrestrial plants began producing non-marine antioxidants such as [[ascorbic acid]] ([[vitamin C]]), [[polyphenol]]s, and [[tocopherol]]s. The evolution of [[angiosperm]] plants between 50 and 200 million years ago resulted in the development of many antioxidant pigments&nbsp;– particularly during the [[Jurassic]] period&nbsp;– as chemical defences against [[reactive oxygen species]] that are byproducts of [[photosynthesis]].<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Benzie IF |date=September 2003 |title=Evolution of dietary antioxidants |journal=Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A |volume=136 |issue=1 |pages=113–26 |doi=10.1016/S1095-6433(02)00368-9 |pmid=14527634 |hdl-access=free |hdl=10397/34754}}</ref> Originally, the term antioxidant specifically referred to a chemical that prevented the consumption of oxygen. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, extensive study concentrated on the use of antioxidants in important industrial processes, such as the prevention of metal [[corrosion]], the [[sulfur vulcanization|vulcanization]] of rubber, and the [[polymerization]] of fuels in the [[fouling]] of [[internal combustion engine]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Mattill HA |year=1947 |title=Antioxidants |journal=Annual Review of Biochemistry |volume=16 |pages=177–92 |doi=10.1146/annurev.bi.16.070147.001141 |pmid=20259061}}</ref>

Early research on the role of antioxidants in biology focused on their use in preventing the oxidation of [[unsaturated fat]]s, which is the cause of [[rancidity]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Impact of Processing on Food Safety |vauthors=German JB |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-306-46051-7 |series=Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology |volume=459 |pages=23–50 |chapter=Food Processing and Lipid Oxidation |doi=10.1007/978-1-4615-4853-9_3 |pmid=10335367}}</ref> Antioxidant activity could be measured simply by placing the fat in a closed container with oxygen and measuring the rate of oxygen consumption. However, it was the identification of [[Vitamin C|vitamins C]] and [[Vitamin E|E]] as antioxidants that revolutionized the field and led to the realization of the importance of antioxidants in the biochemistry of [[Organism|living organisms]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kZdtMAEACAAJ |title=Three eras of vitamin C discovery |vauthors=Jacob RA |year=1996 |isbn=978-1-4613-7998-0 |series=Subcellular Biochemistry |volume=25 |pages=1–16 |chapter=Introduction: Three Eras of Vitamin C Discovery |doi=10.1007/978-1-4613-0325-1_1 |pmid=8821966}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Knight JA |year=1998 |title=Free radicals: their history and current status in aging and disease |journal=Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science |volume=28 |issue=6 |pages=331–46 |pmid=9846200}}</ref> The possible [[mechanisms of action]] of antioxidants were first explored when it was recognized that a substance with anti-oxidative activity is likely to be one that is itself readily oxidized.<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Moureu C, Dufraisse C |year=1922 |title=Sur l'autoxydation: Les antioxygènes |journal=Comptes Rendus des Séances et Mémoires de la Société de Biologie |language=fr |volume=86 |pages=321–322}}</ref> Research into how [[vitamin E]] prevents the process of [[lipid peroxidation]] led to the identification of antioxidants as reducing agents that prevent oxidative reactions, often by [[scavenger (chemistry)|scavenging]] [[reactive oxygen species]] before they can damage cells.<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Wolf G |date=March 2005 |title=The discovery of the antioxidant function of vitamin E: the contribution of Henry A. Mattill |journal=The Journal of Nutrition |volume=135 |issue=3 |pages=363–6 |doi=10.1093/jn/135.3.363 |pmid=15735064 |doi-access=free}}</ref>