Figure 3.

Main low molecular weight antioxidants in RBCs are the water-soluble urate, glutathione, and ascorbate and the lipid-soluble α-tocopherol. These antioxidants can form stable radicals after one-electron oxidation that can be repaired by other antioxidants. The ultimate source of reducing power is given by NADPH, which can be used to yield GSH, which can be used to reduce DHA to ascorbate, which can reduce the urate radical and also the α-tocopheroxyl radical back to their reduced forms.