Scavenging Activity Of Flavonoids Research Articles

Radical scavenging activities of flavonoids from roots of Akschindlium godefroyanum

Chemical constituents of crude ethyl acetate extract of roots of Akschindlium godefroyanum (Kuntze) H. Ohashi were investigated and seven flavonoids were isolated. Their structures were identified based on spectroscopic methods as well as by comparison with spectral data reported in the literature as six flavanonols and a flavonol including 7,4′-dihydroxy-5,3′-dimethoxyflavanonol (1), neophellamuretin (2), taxifolin (3), erycibenin D (4), geraldol (5), fustin (6) and garbanzol (7). Compounds 2, 4 and 7 were found in the genus Akschindlium for the first time. Compounds 3, 5 and 6 appeared to have free radical scavenging activities using DPPH assay with IC50 of 21, 40 and 15 μg/mL, respectively.

Free Radical Scavenging Activities of Flavonoids from Cistus salviifolius L

Free Radical Scavenging Activities of Flavonoids from Cistus salviifolius L

The structure-activity relationship of flavonoids as scavengers of peroxynitrite.

Peroxynitrite is a cytotoxic intermediate produced by the reaction between a superoxide anion radical and nitric oxide. The scavenging activities of flavonoids on peroxynitrite were investigated to illustrate the structure-activity relationship. Peroxynitrite was scavenged by the presence of various flavonoids, whose structures seem to be closely related to the degree of scavenging. Of 31 compounds tested, the most active was quercetin, with an IC50 value of 0.93 microM. Others had IC50 values ranging from 0.96 to more than 10 microM. The scavenging activity was postulated to be governed by the position of the hydroxyl group. Ortho-hydroxyl structures increased the scavenging activity on peroxynitrite.

Alkylperoxyl radical-scavenging activity of various flavonoids and other phenolic compounds: implications for the anti-tumor-promoter effect of vegetables.

We recently reported that alkylperoxyl radical (ROO(*)) enhanced carcinogenesis in rats treated with carcinogen (Sawa et al. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 1998, 7, 1007-1012), and the tumor promoting action of ROO(*) could be reduced by addition of hot-water extracts of vegetables (Maeda et al. Jpn. J. Cancer Res. 1992, 83, 923-928). Here we described the ROO(*)-scavenging activity of flavonoids and nonflavonoid phenolics and their role in anti-tumor-promoter effects. A model molecular species, ROO(*), was generated from tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH) and heme iron, and the scavenging of t-BuOO(*) was determined by (a) bioassay based on the bactericidal action of ROO(*), (b) luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence, and (c) electron spin resonance. Of 17 authentic plant phenolics tested, 9 compounds (including rutin, chlorogenic acid, vanillin, vanillic acid, neohesperidin, gallic acid, shikimic acid, rhamnetin, and kaempferol) showed remarkably high ROO(*)-scavenging activity. Some of them were detected and quantified in hot-water extracts of mung bean sprouts, used as the model vegetable, and their contents increased after germination, which paralleled very well to the ROO(*)-scavenging capacity of the vegetable extracts. Thus, a diet rich in these radical scavengers would reduce the cancer-promoting action of ROO(*). Consequently, the carcinogenic potentials of oxygen-related radicals may be suppressed.

Influence of iron chelation on the antioxidant activity of flavonoids

The antioxidant activity of flavonoids is believed to be caused by a combination of iron chelation and free radical scavenging activities. Several authors have attempted to separate the iron chelation and scavenging activity of flavonoids in order to study these processes individually. There are, however, several contradictions in the literature, and the outcome largely depends on the experimental conditions and the type of assay used. In order to investigate the contribution of iron chelation to the antioxidant activity of flavonoids, we determined the antioxidant activity of a group of flavonoids from several subclasses in an iron-independent (azobisamidinopropane, [ABAP]) lipid peroxidation (LPO) process and compared them with data from an iron-dependent (Fe 2+/ascorbate) LPO process, which we determined earlier. These LPO data were compared with oxidation potentials, which were earlier found to have a good correlation with the scavenging activity of flavonoids. For most flavonoids, it was found that there was no difference between the LPO assays, indicating that iron chelation is either a constant factor among the flavonoids or is not significant in these types of assays. The ic 50 values in the iron-independent LPO assay showed an excellent correlation with the oxidation potentials (Ep/2). Therefore, it can be concluded that for the majority of flavonoids tested, iron chelation does not play a role in the antioxidant activity in microsomal lipid peroxidation.

Flavonoids as superoxide scavengers and antioxidants

The superoxide anions scavenging activity and antioxidation of seven flavonoids-quercetin, rutin, morin, acacetin, hispidulin, hesperidin, and naringin-were studied. The superoxide anions were generated in a phemazin methosulphate-NADH system and were assayed by reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium. The scavenging activity ranked: rutin was the strongest, and quercetin and naringin the second, while morin and hispidulin were very weak. The concentration values yielding 50% inhibition of lipid peroxidation in mouse liver homogenate were in order of 10 −6 M for quercetin, rutin, and morin; and of 10 −5 M for acacetin and hispidulin, while naringin and hesperidin had no antioxidative action. In comparison with the antioxidative and scavenging activities of flavonoids, there are no correlations.