Comparison of radical scavenging effect, inhibition of microsomal oxygen free radical generation, and serum lipoprotein oxidation of several natural antioxidants.

Typical components of the Mediterranean diet, such as olive oil and red wine, contain high concentrations of complex phenols, which have been suggested to have an important antioxidant role. The aim of the present work was to determine the inhibitory potency of compounds such as oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, and other structurally related compounds, such as gallic acid, toward reactive oxygen species generation and free radical scavenging ability. The potency of these compounds was also examined with respect to protecting in vitro low-density lipoprotein oxidation. These studies indicate that complex phenols, such as hydroxytyrosol, and gallic acid both inhibit free radical generation and act as free radical scavengers. The use of three different approaches to determine antioxidant potency demonstrates that activity in one test does not necessarily correlate with activity in another. It was also demonstrated that the presence of two phenolic groups is not always associated with antioxidant activity.

Inhibition of CYP3A-mediated oxidation in human hepatic microsomes by the dietary derived complex phenol, gallic acid.

Plant polyphenols, such as gallic acid, have been reported to have a range of biological activities including antimutagenic effects. Previously, we reported that gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid), an agent found in wine and tea, inhibits androstenedione 6beta-hydroxylase activity (Ki 70 microm), a cytochrome P450 (CYP3A) marker in human liver microsomes. The pre-incubation of gallic acid (100 microM) with human liver microsomes in the absence of NADPH, as compared with the presence of NADPH, before assay of androstenedione 6beta-hydroxylase activity significantly increased the inhibitory effects of the gallic acid (0.03 +/- 0.03 nmol (mg microsomal protein)(-1) min(-1) compared with 0.20 +/- 0.06 nmol (mg microsomal protein) (-1) min(-1) (P < 0.05)). The antioxidant ascorbic acid and the radical scavenger glutathione prevented this observed increase in inhibition. Removal of gallic acid-derived products from the incubation completely restored CYP3A activity. In contrast, the activities of CYP1A and CYP2E, and non-CYP mediated reductive microsomal 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity were refractory to inhibition by gallic acid.