Abstract
BackgroundUnder conditions of oxidative stress, the removal of superoxide, a free radical associated with chronic inflammation, is catalysed by superoxide dismutase (SOD). Thus in addition to acting as an antioxidant, SOD may also be utilized as an anti-inflammatory agent. Some plant derived foods have been shown to have SOD mimetic (SODm) activity however it is not known if this activity is possessed by culinary herbs which have previously been shown to possess both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of the study was to ascertain if the culinary herbs rosemary, sage and thyme possess SODm activity, and to investigate the influence of cooking and digestion on this activity. Transition metal ion content was also determined to establish if it could likely contribute to any SODm activity detected.FindingsAll extracts of uncooked (U), cooked (C) and cooked and digested (C&D) herbs were shown to possess SODm activity, which was significantly correlated with previously determined antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of these herbs. SODm activity was significantly increased following (C) and (C&D) for rosemary and sage only. The impact of (C) and (C&D) on the SODm for thyme may have been influenced by its transition metal ion content.ConclusionsSODm activity may contribute to the herbs’ antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities however the source and significance of this activity need to be established.
Highlights
Under conditions of oxidative stress, the removal of superoxide, a free radical associated with chronic inflammation, is catalysed by superoxide dismutase (SOD)
To gain some insight into the possible sources and significance of SOD mimetic (SODm) activity, the SODm values for the prepared samples were compared with their respective total phenolic content (expressed as gallic acid equivalence (GAE)), antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory activity values, which were previously published by the authors (Chohan et al 2012) using Spearman rank correlation analysis
The analyses showed a significant association with GAE, TEAC, and % inhibition of IL-8 release:
Summary
Under conditions of oxidative stress, the removal of superoxide, a free radical associated with chronic inflammation, is catalysed by superoxide dismutase (SOD). It catalyses the removal of superoxide by dismutation into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and oxygen, the H2O2 is converted to water and oxygen by catalase This action of SOD indicates that it may, in addition to being an antioxidant, be utilized as an anti-inflammatory agent (Yasui and Baba 2006). Studies have reported that plants and plant derived foods are able to either enhance or mimic SOD activity (Balaraman et al 2004, Vouldoukis et al 2004, Yoo et al 2008, Thring et al 2009, Candy et al 2013, Carillon et al 2013) This SOD mimetic (SODm) activity is associated with a decrease in pro-inflammatory mediators (Vouldoukis et al 2004, Carillon et al 2013).
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