[Chemiluminescent study of the antiradical activity of tocopherol analogs and homologs]

Antioxidative peculiarities of the effect of tocopherol derivatives are considered. Attempts are made to reveal interrelation between tocopherol pharmacological effect and antiradical activity of its derivatives exemplified by an elementary reaction of tocopherol interaction with free peroxide radicals (FR). It is shown that the presence of free hydroxyl groups, number and location of CH3--groups in tocopherol benzol ring produce a significant effect on tocopherol ability to react with FR. The length of lateral phitil chain produces no appreciable effect on the rate of tocopherol reaction with free radicals. The values of energy activation in this reaction are calculated for tocopherol derivatives. Correlation between biological and antiradical activity of tocopherol homologs is shown. The absence of such correlation for tocopherol analogs is explained by the difference in the ability of analogs to be incorporated into biological membranes. Possible tocopherol regulations of the rates of free radical processes proceeding in lipid membranes are considered.