In the last years has been highlighted the relevance of transition metals as catalysts in oxidative damage processes involving biological macromolecules. Recent studies have shown that transition metals like Fe, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Hg, Ni and V possess the ability to generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, ROS and RNS, that is, radicals concerned in biological reactions which may cause severe damage in a wide range of molecules, producing, among other effects, lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, dramatic sulfhydryl decrease, protein alteration, etc., symptomatic of different diseases such as cancer, vascular affections, neurological disorders (Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease), etc.
