Oxidants and antioxidant therapy

Oxidant-mediated injury is an important contributor to organ dysfunction in the critically ill patient. Based on the ability of antioxidants to neutra lize oxidant damage and to inhibit intracellular signaling pathways, these agents may be useful in the management of patients. While animal studies ha ve consistently shown beneficial effects of antioxidant treatment, the bene fits observed in human studies have been less compelling. Future studies sh ould include larger sample sizes, better patient selection, improved defini tion of primary endpoints, and possible alternate strategies for antioxidan t delivery.