title: Fatty acid hydroxytyrosyl esters: structure/antioxidant activity relationship by ABTS and in cell-culture DCF assays.
abstract: A large series of hydroxytyrosyl esters of C2-C18 fatty acids with increasing lipophilicity was prepared by a new highly efficient method based on acylation of methylorthoformate-protected hydroxytyrosol. All products were tested for relative antioxidant effect using ABTS assays in ethanolic medium and DCF assays in L6 cells. No linear correlation between lipophilicity and antioxidant effect was found. ABTS assays showed a growing antioxidant capacity, with respect to hydroxytyrosol, only for medium-sized ester chains (C4-C10) and a nearly constant capacity for the higher homologues. This has been rationalized by molecular dynamics experiments in terms of partial shielding of the catecholic hydroxyls by long-chain esters. A similar and dose-dependent pattern was observed in DCF assays in L6 cells, but a sharp antioxidant activity drop resulted for long-chain esters, probably due to membrane entrapment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University Roma Tre, Rome, Italy. tofani@uniroma3.it
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tofani
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Balducci
authors.forename: Tecla
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gasperi
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Incerpi
authors.forename: Augusto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gambacorta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D052160:Benzothiazoles / Q000737:chemistry*; D002460:Cell Line; D003470:Culture Media; D004952:Esters; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D051381:Rats; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013451:Sulfonic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D003470:Culture Media; D004952:Esters; D005227:Fatty Acids; D013451:Sulfonic Acids; C002502:2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid