1. Introduction
One of the processes involved in the adaptation of organisms to live in an aerobic environment has been the development of mechanisms for defence
against damage induced by oxygen and activated oxygen species, such as hydroxy radicals and superoxide anions (Halliwell and Gutteridge, 1985). Peroxidation of unsaturated lipids in
biologic membranes has been implicated in a wide range of diseases including ageing and cancer (Lunec, 1990), diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (Baynes, 1991) and rheumatoid arthritis
(Blake et al., 1989). Current interest has focused on the potential role of anti-oxidants and antioxidant enzymes in the treatment and prevention of certain diseases. Dimethyl sulfoxide has been
shown to have a beneficial effect on amyloidosis and butylated hydroxy anisole and santoquin have been found to inhibit the carcinogenicity of benzapyrene and 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene (Wattenberg,
1972).