In this paper, we shall review various antioxygen defense systems of the cell paying particular attention to those that prevent superoxide formation rather than scavenge already formed superoxide and its products. The role of uncoupled, decoupled and non-coupled respiration, mitochondrial pore, mitochondrion-linked apoptosis will be considered. Mitochondrial theory of aging will be regarded in context of reactive oxygen species-induced damage of mitochondrial DNA.