Antioxidant generation and regeneration in lipid bilayers: the amazing case of lipophilic thiosulfinates and hydrophilic thiols

Abstract

We demonstrate that the garlic-derived chemopreventive agent allicin and the related anamu-derived petivericin are poor radical-trapping antioxidants in lipid bilayers, but that the in situ reaction of a lipophilic analog and a hydrophilic thiol yields an extremely potent radical-trapping antioxidant that can be recycled in the presence of excess thiol.