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Use of Red Blood Cell Membranes to Evaluate the Antioxidant Potential of Plant Extracts

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Abstract

Antioxidant phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables of a vegetarian diet may account for the reduced risk of aging and stress oxidative associated diseases. In this study, a simple, rapid and accurate new bioassay for the determination of the antioxidant activity of purified or crude plant extracts and thier interactions is described, based on the fluorimetric determination of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) released by UV-B radiated red blood cell (RBC) ghosts. Pure resveratrol, white and red wine and pomegranate juice (PJ) were used as antioxidant source to test the biological method. TBARS production is a function of radiation time, the number of RBC ghosts in the radiated sample and the loaded antioxidant. The antioxidant activity of resveratrol was detected at a submicromolar concentration range [0.02 μg/mL–0.1 μmol/L]. The activity of red wine was almost 10 times higher than that of white wine, and PJ juice had the highest activity. Submaximal protective effects of PJ and red wine were additive.

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Abbreviations

TBARS:

Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

RBC:

Red blood cell

PJ:

Pomegranate juice

DPPH:

1,1-diphenil-2-picrylhydrazyl

ABTS.+ :

2,2′-azinobis(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical cation

TEAC:

Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity

ORAC:

Oxygen radical absorption capacity

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

UV-B:

Ultraviolet-B

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Acknowledgments

The present research was supported by funds of the University of Pisa. The authors declare no conflict of interest. The authors thank Gian Pietro Molinari and Luigi Lucini (Istituto di Chimica Agraria e Ambientale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Piacenza, Italy) for critical reading of the manuscript and their helpful contribution for HPLC analysis.

Conflict of interest

Each author declare that they have not a Conflict of Interest. This article does not contain any studies with human subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdepartmental Research Centre on Biology and Pathology of Aging, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Gabriella Cavallini & Ettore Bergamini

  2. Medical Faculty/Campus Biomedico of Roma, Rome, Italy

    Marina Dachà

  3. Department of Molecular Biology, University of Urbino, Via A Saffi 2, 61029, Urbino, Italy

    Lucia Potenza

  4. Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Biotechnology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Annamaria Ranieri, Claudia Scattino & Antonella Castagna

Authors
  1. Gabriella Cavallini
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  2. Marina Dachà
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  3. Lucia Potenza
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  4. Annamaria Ranieri
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  5. Claudia Scattino
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  6. Antonella Castagna
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  7. Ettore Bergamini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lucia Potenza.

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Cavallini, G., Dachà, M., Potenza, L. et al. Use of Red Blood Cell Membranes to Evaluate the Antioxidant Potential of Plant Extracts. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 69, 108–114 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-014-0414-0

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