Secoisolariciresinol antioxidant activity

Kitts, D.D., Yuan, Y.V., Wijewickreme, A.N., and Thompson, L.U. 1999. Antioxidant activity of the flaxseed lignan secoisolariciresinol diglycoside and its mammalian lignan metabolites enterodiol... 

Prasad, K. 2000b. Antioxidant activity of secoisolariciresinol diglucoside-derived metabolites, secoi-solariciresinol, enterodiol, and enterolactone. Inti. J. Angiol. 9, 220-225. 

Lignans of flaxseed exist as secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG 126). SDG is a potent antioxidant in biological systems because of its tendency to associate in the aqueous phase. Much of the work on antioxidant activity of SDG is related to its radical mediated disease prevention (127, 128). Lignans of both sesame (121, 122) and flax (129, 130) have shown hydrogen-donating abihty and scavenging activity for various free radicals. 

The morama bean is an excellent source of lignans (Holse et al., 2010). The content of secoisolariciresinol in morama beans (305-406 gg/100 g) is higher than that of soybean (13-273 gg/100 g) and peanut (333 pg/100 g) (Mazur et al., 1998). Likewise, the level of lariciresinol in morama beans (614-825 [tg/100 g) is higher than that of soybeans (287 gg/lOO g), while the level of pinoresinol in morama beans (21-23 gg/lOO g) is lower than the level in soybeans (446 gg/lOO g) (Penalvo et ah, 2004). These lignans can be converted by intestinal bacteria into enterolignans, which possess biological activities such as (anti) estrogenic and antioxidant action. Therefore, they may reduce the risk of certain types of cancers as well as cardiovascular diseases (Adlercreutz, 2007). 

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