Antioxidant actions of thymol, carvacrol, 6-gingerol, zingerone and hydroxytyrosol.
Antioxidants minimize oxidation of the lipid components in foods. There is an increasing interest in the use of natural and/or synthetic antioxidants in food preservation, but it is important to evaluate such compounds fully for both antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties. The properties of thymol, carvacrol, 6-ginerol, hydroxytyrosol and zingerone were characterized in detail. Thymol, carvacrol, 6-gingerol and hydroxytyrosol decreased peroxidation of phospholipid liposomes in the presence of iron(III) and ascorbate, but zingerone had only a weak inhibitory effect on the system. The compounds were good scavengers of peroxyl radicals (CCl3O2; calculated rate constants > 10(6) M-1 sec-1) generated by pulse radiolysis. Thymol, carvacrol, 6-gingerol and zingerone were not able to accelerate DNA damage in the bleomycin-Fe(III) system. Hydroxytyrosol promoted deoxyribose damage in the deoxyribose assay and also promoted DNA damage in the bleomycin-Fe(III) system. This promotion was inhibited strongly in the deoxyribose assay by the addition of bovine serum albumin to the reaction mixtures. Our data suggest that thymol, carvacrol and 6-gingerol possess useful antioxidant properties and may become important in the search for 'natural' replacements for 'synthetic' antioxidant food additives.
Aeschbach
R
R
Centre de Recherche, Nestec SA, Vers-Chez-les-Blanc, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Löliger
J
J
Scott
B C
BC
Murcia
A
A
Butler
J
J
Halliwell
B
B
Aruoma
O I
OI
D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002396:Catechols; D000081007:Cymenes; D004249:DNA Damage; D003855:Deoxyribose / Q000378:metabolism; D005233:Fatty Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D005519:Food Preservation; D006139:Guaiacol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008081:Liposomes / Q000378:metabolism; D039821:Monoterpenes; D010626:Phenylethyl Alcohol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011675:Pulse Radiolysis; D013729:Terpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013943:Thymol / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000975:Antioxidants; D002396:Catechols; D000081007:Cymenes; D005233:Fatty Alcohols; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D008081:Liposomes; D039821:Monoterpenes; D013729:Terpenes; C005975:3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol; D001761:Bleomycin; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical; D013943:Thymol; C013738:zingerone; D003855:Deoxyribose; D006139:Guaiacol; C007845:gingerol; C073316:carvacrol; D010626:Phenylethyl Alcohol; D001205:Ascorbic Acid