Antioxidant-mediated protective effect of potato peel extract in erythrocytes against oxidative damage

Potato peels are waste by-product of the potato processing industry. They are reportedly rich in polyphenols. Our earlier studies have shown that extracts derived from potato peel (PPE) possess strong antioxidant activity in chemical and biological model systems in vitro, attributable to its polyphenolic content. The main objective of this study was to investigate the ability of PPE to protect erythrocytes against oxidative damage, in vitro. The protection rendered by PPE in erythrocytes was studied in terms of resistance to oxidative damage, morphological alterations as well as membrane structural alterations. The total polyphenolic content in PPE was found to be 3.93 mg/g powder. The major phenolic acids present in PPE were predominantly: gallic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid and protocatechuic acid. We chose the experimental prooxidant system: FeSO(4) and ascorbic acid to induce lipid peroxidation in rat RBCs and human RBC membranes. PPE was found to inhibit lipid peroxidation with similar effectiveness in both the systems (about 80-85% inhibition by PPE at 2.5 mg/ml). While PPE per se did not cause any morphological alteration in the erythrocytes, under the experimental conditions, PPE significantly inhibited the H(2)O(2)-induced morphological alterations in rat RBCs as revealed by scanning electron microscopy. Further, PPE was found to offer significant protection to human erythrocyte membrane proteins from oxidative damage induced by ferrous-ascorbate. In conclusion, our results indicate that PPE is capable of protecting erythrocytes against oxidative damage probably by acting as a strong antioxidant.