ABSTRACT
Lead poisoning has become a big threat to public health in China. Traditional treatments usually use chelators to accelerate the excretion of lead by forming complex compounds with it. However, chelators exhibit side effects and have little therapeutic effect on lead-induced impairment so that better drugs are needed. As antioxidants are effective for the treatment of lead poisoning, with lasting effect and little side effect, they have been the focus of increasing studies. This review provides a detailed account of updates on the effects of antioxidant drugs in the therapy of lead poisoning, and of the progress in antioxidant activity of puerarin, quercetin, curcumin, allicin and melatonin in treatment of lead poisoning. To some extent, these five types of drugs can reduce lead poisoning by accelerating lead excretion and antioxidant, increase the body′s antioxidant enzyme activity, reduce oxidative stress and repair damage, which promises some clinical value.