Oxidation flavonoids

Hendrickson HP, Sahafayan M, Bell MA, et al. 1994. Relationship of flavonoid oxidation potential and effect on rat hepatic microsomal metabolism of benzene and phenol. J Pharm Biomed Anal 12 335-341. 

Pourcel L, Routaboul JM, Cheynier V et al (2007) Flavonoid oxidation in plants from biochemical properties to physiological functions. Trends Plant Sci 12 29-36... 

In addition to enzymatic oxidation, flavonoid oxidation can take place via autoxidation (metal-catalyzed oxidation by dioxygen) and ROS scavenging. The former process can be related to flavonoid cytotoxicity (ROS production) while the latter is one of the main antioxidant mechanisms. Both processes may be modulated by flavonoid-protein binding. Although poorly documented so far, these points could be important and, for instance, albumin-flavonoid complexes with an affinity for LDL could act as the true plasma antioxidants participating in the regeneration of a-tocopherol from the a-tocopheryl radical formed... 

There are numerous synthetic and natural compounds called antioxidants which regulate or block oxidative reactions by quenching free radicals or by preventing free-radical formation. Vitamins A, C, and E and the mineral selenium are common antioxidants occurring naturally in foods (104,105). A broad range of flavonoid or phenoHc compounds have been found to be functional antioxidants in numerous test systems (106—108). The antioxidant properties of tea flavonoids have been characterized using models of chemical and biological oxidation reactions. 

The total antioxidant activity of teas and tea polyphenols in aqueous phase oxidation reactions has been deterrnined using an assay based on oxidation of 2,2 -azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-sulfonate) (ABTS) by peroxyl radicals (114—117). Black and green tea extracts (2500 ppm) were found to be 8—12 times more effective antioxidants than a 1-mAf solution of the water-soluble form of vitamin E, Trolox. The most potent antioxidants of the tea flavonoids were found to be epicatechin gallate and epigallocatechin gallate. A 1-mAf solution of these flavanols were found respectively to be 4.9 and 4.8 times more potent than a 1-mAf solution of Trolox in scavenging an ABT radical cation. 

Eosin Flavonoids Morin Flavonol, fisetin, robinetin Quercetin Rutin condensation products of urea, formaldehyde and methanol [126], pesticide derivatives [127] sweetening agents [128, 129] anion-active and nonionogenic surface-active agents [130] steroids, pesticides [29,132, 133] pesticides [134—137] vanadium in various oxidation states [138] uracil derivatives [139]... 

Many studies have been undertaken to establish the structural criteria for the activity of polyhydroxy flavonoids in enhancing the stability of fatty acid dispersions, lipids, oils, and LDL. " As for phenolic acids, the inhibition of oxidation by flavonoids is related to the chelation of metal ions via the... 

The antioxidant activities of carotenoids and other phytochemicals in the human body can be measured, or at least estimated, by a variety of techniques, in vitro, in vivo or ex vivo (Krinsky, 2001). Many studies describe the use of ex vivo methods to measure the oxidisability of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles after dietary intervention with carotene-rich foods. However, the difficulty with this approach is that complex plant foods usually also contain other carotenoids, ascorbate, flavonoids, and other compounds that have antioxidant activity, and it is difficult to attribute the results to any particular class of compounds. One study, in which subjects were given additional fruits and vegetables, demonstrated an increase in the resistance of LDL to oxidation (Hininger et al., 1997), but two other showed no effect (Chopra et al, 1996 van het Hof et al., 1999). These differing outcomes may have been due to systematic differences in the experimental protocols or in the populations studied (Krinsky, 2001), but the results do indicate the complexity of the problem, and the hazards of generalising too readily about the putative benefits of dietary antioxidants. 

FUHRMAN B, AViRAM M (2001) Flavonoids protect LDL from oxidation and attenuate atherosclerosis, Current Opinion in Lipidology, 12, 41-8. 

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