Free radicals and inflammation: protection of synovial fluid by superoxide dismutase.

Enzymatically genierated superoxide radical. by reactitng with hydrogen peroxide to prduce the hydroxyl radical, depolymerized puirified hyaluronic acid and bovine synovial flulid. Since phagocytizing polymorphonuclear leukocytes produce superoxide radicals, this reac-tion is sutggested and shown to be quantitatively feasible as the ini vivo mechanism of synovial fluid degradation in anl inflamed joint. Superoxide dismutase, and catalase protect synaovial fluid against such degradation in vitro.