Editing Superoxide dismutase (section)

=== Necessity of ROS-Defense Mechanisms ===
The oxidizing capacity of O<sub>2</sub> makes it a highly efficient final electron acceptor for several biological processes, producing more energy per mol substrate relative to other available electron acceptors during aerobic respiration (Boden ''et al.'' 2021). On the other hand, its high reactivity also contributes to the uncontrolled removal of electrons, which underlies pathological cell damage through the propagation of highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules. 

[[Superoxide|Superoxide (O2•<sup>−</sup>)]] is the most common reactive free-radical formed by the univalent reduction of O<sub>2</sub>. While they are known to exhibit beneficial roles in some cellular processes, superoxide free radicals also possess the ability to initiate a cascade of ROS and free-radical species formation in biological systems. As a consequence, the unrestrained and potentially lethal accumulation of ROS threatens to damage many biomolecules: lipids, proteins, DNA, and host cells. Additionally, oxidative stress in excess is understood to participate in the dysregulation of cellular processes and disease development (Zewen ''et al.'' 2018).<ref>Zewen ''et al.'' (2018). Role of ROS and Nutritional Antioxidants in Human Diseases. ''Front. Physiol., 9.'' doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00477.     </ref> 

To maintain a balance of intracellular superoxide, organisms have developed strategies to protect against overexposure. One such mechanism functions to catalyze the dismutation of superoxide radicals into hydrogen peroxide and oxygen, which is accomplished by SOD enzymes.