Antioxidative activities of Oxindole-3-acetic acid derivatives from supersweet corn powder

The components contributing to the antioxidative activity of supersweet corn powder (SSCP), which is commonly used in corn soup and snacks in Japan, were clarified and the effects investigated. 7-(O-β-Glucosyloxy)oxindole-3-acetic acid (GOA) was found to be the component most strongly contributing to the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity of the 80% ethanol extract of SSCP, and the presence of its aglycone, 7-hydroxy-oxindole-3-acetic acid (HOA) was confirmed. GOA and HOA respectively contributed 35.1% and 10.5% to the DPPH radical-scavenging activity of the 80% ethanol extract of SSCP. Mice orally administered with HOA at doses of both 500 and 1500 mg/kg showed a significantly lower (p<0.05) level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the plasma than the vehicle-treated control. These results suggest that GOA and HOA were at least partly involved in the antioxidative activity of SSCP in vitro and that HOA might have possessed antioxidative activity in vivo.