In vitro Antioxidant Activities of Sodium Zinc and
Sodium Iron Chlorophyllins from Pine Needles

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Biochemistry
• Nutraceuticals

Background:

• Chlorophyll derivatives are investigated for their potential health benefits.
• Pine needles serve as a source for extracting chlorophyll.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize sodium zinc chlorophyllin (SZC) and sodium iron chlorophyllin (SIC).
• To evaluate and compare the antioxidant activities of SZC, SIC, and sodium copper chlorophyllin (SCC) against ascorbic acid.

Main Methods:

• Chlorophyll extraction from pine needles.
• Synthesis of SZC, SIC, and SCC via saponification, purification, and substitution reactions.
• Structural verification using atomic absorbance spectroscopy, UV-VIS spectroscopy, and HPLC.
• Antioxidant activity assessment through DPPH radical scavenging, reducing power, β-carotene bleaching inhibition, and superoxide radical scavenging assays.

Main Results:

• SZC exhibited significantly better antioxidant properties than SIC and SCC across all tested assays.
• SZC demonstrated a lower EC50 value (0.04 mg/mL) in β-carotene bleaching inhibition compared to SIC (0.38 mg/mL), SCC (0.90 mg/mL), and ascorbic acid (4.0 mg/mL).
• SZC showed enhanced superoxide radical scavenging activity (p<0.05) and comparable reducing power to ascorbic acid.

Conclusions:

• Chlorophyll derivatives, particularly SZC, possess significant bioactivities.
• SZC demonstrates promising potential for human health protection and disease prevention due to its antioxidant properties.