Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species can damage proteins and hinder their clearance from the cell.

“The effects of these reactive oxygen or reactive nitrogen species don't just stop at DNA damage they also damage the proteins within your cell your DNA is the blueprint which is then transcribed into RNA which is then translated into protein it's the protein inside of your cell that is doing everything and the three-dimensional structure of this protein is very important for its function when the three-dimensional structure is compromised from reactive oxygen and nitrogen species this can often inactivate the protein such that it can't function properly it also damages the ability of this protein to be cleared from the cell and so the protein will end up hanging around and floating around inside the cell for extended periods of time and which can then form Aggregates with other proteins”