Spice constituents scavenging free radicals and inhibiting pentosidine formation in a model system

Many antioxidants have been found in spices and herbs, and some of them are well known as strong scavengers of active oxygen radicals. We have isolated active products, which markedly inhibited the formation of malondialdehyde (MDA from 2-deoxyribose and the hydroxylation of benzoate with the hydroxyl radical, from methanol extracts of allspice and clove. Pimentol from allspice, and biflorin and its isomer, abbreviated as clove3, from clove were identified as the active principles. These revealed strong activity as hydroxyl radical scavengers at a concentration of 2.0 microM. The antioxidative activities in an in vitro model system involving the rabbit erythrocyte membrane ghost were as strong as those of alpha-tocopherol at 200 microM. Such advanced glycation end products (AGE) as pentosidine are biomarkers of diabetes mellitus, and active oxygens have been suggested to be involved in the formation of AGE. The above-mentioned free radical scavengers effectively inhibited the formation of pentosidine in a model system of N alpha-t-butoxycarbonyl-fructoselysine and N alpha-t-butoxycarbonyl-arginine.