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Superoxide

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Superoxide is a reactive anion and free radical, formally O2-. It has an unpaired electron, is not particularly stable, and spontaneously decomposes into peroxide over time. In phagocytes, superoxide is made in large quantity by the enzyme NADPH oxidase for use in oxygen-dependent killing mechanisms. Superoxide is scavenged by the enzyme superoxide dismutase, or SOD, though the rate of reaction of SOD is so close to the spontaneous disassociation rate that some have questioned the biological need for SOD.

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