How is it that "Free radicals" damage cells (What part)?

Question

How is it that "Free radicals" damage cells (What part)?

Answer 1

I believe it is the dna strains that are being damaged leading to cell death or mutation.  

Answer 2

Free radicals are any atom or molecule that has an unpaired electron, usually making them highly reactive with other atoms or molecules.

Certain free radicals are beneficial and employed by our some of our bodies' cells (neutrophils) to attack bacteria.

Others can cause damage to the DNA in our cells causing mutations to be passed on to new cells or harm cells by reacting with other chemicals already present in our cells to form harmful chemicals.

I've included a couple links in the sources section for further information.  

Answer 3

Free radicals are molecules which are unstable, usually because they have more electrons than its stable form. Then, they want to pass those "extra electrons" to another molecule, and become stable molecules again.

Free radicals could "deliver" their  electrons to any molecule in the cell: phospholipids, fat acids (cell membrane), amino acids, DNA, RNA strands. When those molecules are altered in their structure, they can lose their normal functions, and this is the real damage of free radicals.

Answer 4

free radicals are chemically active species with one electron in their outer orbitals . these species are released from the homolytic fission from the chemical reactions which occur inside the body .



the danger of free radicals is due to they act as very active oxidizing agents so they able to attack any molecule to oxidize it .

free radicals can affect on :

membrane of the cells such as plasma membrane where they attack it and oxidize the protein components and destroy them and make the membrane lose its function

free radicals cam make oxidation to lipids inside the body and destroy them

free radicals can attack the DNA molecule inside the body and react with the nucleotides leading to faults during the replication which results in mutations of the DNA and cancer