Antioxidant capacity of a 3-deoxyanthocyanidin from soybean

Soybean cotyledons directly exposed to UV-C (190-280 nm) contained a colored pigment in those areas of the epidermis directly exposed to UV-C. Ethanolic extracts from UV-C irradiated cotyledons showed a significant peak at 532 nm at pH = 10, but not seen at pH = 6, successive changes in pH were accompanied by reversible changes in the spectra. The identity of the pigment isolated from soybean cotyledons was established as apigeninidin by comparing the features of standard of a apigeninidin (from sorghum) previously characterized by FAB MS, UV, HPLC, H-1 NMR, and IR spectroscopy. To characterize antioxidant activity of this compound, its ability to scavenge radical species in vitro was tested. In the concentration range tested (up to 200 mug ml(-1)), apigeninidin did not show any scavenger activity towards hydroxyl radical, quinones or NO. However, ascorbyl radical and lipid radicals were effectively quenched in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, UV-C radiation triggers molecular signals that lead in soybean cotyledons to the synthesis and accumulation of an antioxidant pigment, apigeninidin, that shows scavenger activity against ascorbyl and lipid radicals in in vitro studies. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.