Comparative evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of ferulic acid and synthesized propionyl ferulate

Abstract

Ferulic acid (FA) is a polyphenolic compound with demonstrated antioxidant capacity. In this study, propionyl ferulate (PF) was synthesized and characterized using melting point, ultraviolet spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. The propionyl ferulate was comparatively evaluated for antioxidant potential which included the ability to quench reactive species of 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrazyl-hydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl, nitric oxide, and superoxide anion. In addition, the total antioxidant capacity and membrane stabilizing properties of the ferulate were determined. Comparatively, the spectroscopically characterized PF showed superior scavenging capacity for the DPPH, hydroxyl, and nitric oxide free radicals when compared to FA. On the contrary, PF showed a poor scavenging capacity for superoxide anion radicals. Furthermore, PF showed little or no potential for membrane stability. In conclusion, the data suggest that structurally modifying FA to PF improved the antioxidant capacity for several free radicals.

Phytochemical Profile and Antioxidant Properties of Bee-Collected Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) Pollen

“…Namely, alkaline hydrolyzable fraction of phenolics contained almost exclusively ferulic acid which was not detected among extractable phenolic compounds. It was documented that phenolic acids and particularly this acid have good ability to quench DPPH radical, even better compared to some standard compounds such as BHT, α-tocopherol or ascorbic acid [59,60]. During strong alkaline and acidic conditions applied for releasing alkaline hydrolyzable phenolics it was possible that hydrolysis of some proteins occurred leading to the production of bioactive peptides which are also capable to neutralize free radicals [61,62].…”