text: The Fenton reaction has different implications in biology because it involves the formation of free radicals by chemical species naturally present in the cell under in vivo conditions. Transition-metal ions such as iron and copper can donate or accept free electrons via intracellular reactions and so contribute to the formation, or at the contrary to the scavenging, of free radicals. Superoxide ions and transition metals act in a synergistic way in the appearance of free radical damages. Therefore, although the clinical significance is still unclear, it is one of the viable reasons to avoid iron supplementation in patients with active infections, whereas other reasons include iron-mediated infections.