Evaluation of the antioxidant activity of honey in the peroxidation of rat liver microsomes.

Abstract

Honey is a substance produced by bees and other social insects, from nectar or molasses that they gather on living plants and that transform or elaborate by evaporating water and action of enzymes, segregated by them, being stored in the alveoli or honeycomb cells. A prior investigation indicated that the total antioxidant activity of honey is primarily provided by its phenolic composition. Polyphenols mainly exert their antioxidant activity by neutralizing free radicals. The objective of this study was to investigate the antioxidant effect of honey on the peroxidation of hepatic microsomes membranes. Rat liver microsomes were incubated with different concentrations of honey (25, 50, 100, 200 mg) in an in vitro non-enzymatic ascorbic acid-Fe+2 system in order to determine the oxidative effect on membranes and to quantify peroxidation level in standardized conditions. The microsomal peroxidation was quantified in a liquid scintillation counter Packard 1900 TR by chemiluminescence in cpm (counts per minute). Microsomal membranes without honey were used as controls. Analyzing the effect of honey was observed that the total cpm/mg protein originated from light emission: chemiluminescence, was statistically lower in samples obtained from honey group than in the control group (without honey), the antioxidant effect found was dependent concentration.