Reaction mechanism of ferulic acid scavenging OH and NO2 radicals: a theoretical study

The Antioxidant Properties, Metabolism, Application and Mechanism of Ferulic Acid in Medicine, Food, Cosmetics, Livestock and Poultry

Ferulic acid is a ubiquitous ingredient in cereals, vegetables, fruits and Chinese herbal medicines. Due to the ferulic phenolic nucleus coupled to an extended side chain, it readily forms a resonant-stable phenoxy radical, which explains its potent antioxidant potential. In addition, it also plays an important role in anti-cancer, pro-angiogenesis, anti-thrombosis, neuroprotection, food preservation, anti-aging, and improving the antioxidant performance of livestock and poultry. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the structure, mechanism of antioxidation, application status, molecular mechanism of pharmacological activity, existing problems, and application prospects of ferulic acid and its derivatives. The aim is to establish a theoretical foundation for the utilization of ferulic acid in medicine, food, cosmetics, livestock, and poultry.

Elucidation of reactive oxygen species scavenging pathways of norbergenin utilizing DFT approaches

Bergenin is a polyphenolic compound that contains isocoumarin skeletal derived from C-glycosylated 4-O-methylgallic acid. The biological activities of this compound and its derivatives are quite diverse. Recent studies reveal neuroprotective effects in vitro and in vivo in Alzheimer's. Norbergenin is a demethylated form of bergenin, known for better antioxidant capacity and associated with neuroprotective properties through oxidative stress inhibition. This study focused on investigating the scavenging mechanism of norbergenin with the ^•OH, ^•OOH, and O 2 ∙ - as a radical model under physiological and lipid environments. The thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the hydrogen transfer (HT), single electron transfer (SET), sequential proton lost-electron transfer (SPLET) and radical adduct formation (RAF) mechanisms were determined theoretically by the density functional theory (DFT) at M06-2X/6-311 + + G(d,p) level of theory. Based on the computational results, this compound has proved as an excellent ^•OOH and ^•OH scavenger under physiological conditions better than Trolox and vitamin C, whereas its radical demonstrated as an efficient O 2 ∙ - scavenger.

Antioxidant Potential of Santowhite as Synthetic and Ascorbic Acid as Natural Polymer Additives

A wide variety of additives are used to improve specific characteristics of the final polymeric product. Antioxidant additives (AAs) can prevent oxidative stress and thus the damage of polymeric materials. In this work, the antioxidant potential and thus the applicability of Santowhite (SW) as synthetic and ascorbic acid (Asc) as natural AAs were explored by using computational tools. Two density functional theory (DFT) methods, M05-2X and M06-2X, have been applied in combination with the 6-311++G(2d,2p) basis set in gas phase. Three antioxidant mechanisms have been considered: hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), single electron transfer-proton transfer (SET-PT), and sequential proton loss electron transfer (SPLET). Bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE), ionization potential (IP), proton dissociation enthalpy (PDE), proton affinity (PA), and electron transfer enthalpy (ETE) have been computed for each potential hydrogen donor site. The results indicate that the antioxidant potential of Asc is higher than SW. Furthermore, some of the C-H bonds, depending on their position in the structures, are potent radical scavengers, but O-H groups are more prone to donate H-atoms to free radicals. Nonetheless, both additives can be potentially applied to safeguard common polymers and prohibit oxidative stress-induced material deterioration.