Quercetin as an Inhibitor of Protein Glycation

Abstract

The current study examines the ability of the compound quetrctin to inhibit the formation of gylcated proteins. This process of non‐enzymatic addition of sugars to proteins has been implicated as one of the contributing factors to the development of the complications of diabetes. In the model used in our laboratory the glucose was incubated with the protein lysozyme as a positive control for glycation. Quercetin was added as a possible inhibitor of glycation. Solutions were tested by spectophotometry for the presence of glycoprotiens. Initial results indicate that100mM and200mM concentrations of quercetin do inhibit the interaction between glucose and lysozyme. Thus querrcetin requires more detailed studies as a possible inhibitor of the long term complications of diabetes. This Research is supported by a grant from the Smith‐Glynn‐Callaway Medical Foundation.