title: Aged garlic extract scavenges superoxide radicals.
abstract: There is increasing evidence to suggest that many degenerative or pathological processes, such as aging, cancer, and coronary heart disease, are related to reactive oxygen species and radical-mediated reactions. We examined the effectiveness of aged garlic extract (AGE), a garlic preparation rich in water-soluble cysteinyl moieties, and its component for scavenging of superoxide by using the hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase and human neutrophils. In the hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase system, electron spin resonance showed that aged garlic extract scavenged superoxide radicals in a dose-dependent manner up to 54%. The EC(50) value of aged garlic extract for the superoxide radical scavenging effect was 0.80 mg/ml. N-α-(1-deoxy-D-fructos-1-yl)-L-arginine (25.9%) and (1S, 3S)-1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (20.8%), water-soluble moieties of AGE, also exerted superoxide scavenging effects. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-activated human neutrophils produced superoxide radical of 56.6 ± 9.27 nmol/min/10(7) cells. Aged garlic extract (3 mg/ml) significantly inhibited superoxide production in comparison to the control. These data suggest that aged garlic extract may be useful for preventing diseases associated with reactive oxygen species.
authors.affiliation: Healthcare Research Institute, Wakunaga Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Akitakata, Hiroshima, Japan. morihara_n@wakunaga.co.jp
authors.forename: Naoaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morihara
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayama
authors.forename: Hirotada
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujii
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D005737:Garlic / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism*; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D014969:Xanthine Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D010936:Plant Extracts; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D013481:Superoxides; C016658:phorbolol myristate acetate; D014969:Xanthine Oxidase; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate