Masking of antioxidant capacity by the interaction of flavonoids with protein.

The effect of antioxidants is often executed in complex biological mixtures where various interactions may take place. Therefore, the antioxidant capacity of antioxidants in blood plasma is examined. The assay used is the trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC). This method gives the antioxidant capacity of a compound by measuring spectrophotometrically the disappearance of the blue/green stable ABTS [2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] radical, caused by scavenging. The results show that the antioxidant capacity of quercetin, rutin, catechin or 7-monohydroxyethylrutoside (monoHER) and blood plasma is not additive. This is partly due to interactions between the antioxidant and plasma proteins. However, the antioxidant capacity of alpha-tocopherol, which also binds to protein, is not affected by the interaction. This means that besides the antioxidant capacity of the compound itself, the environment in which the antioxidant has to execute his function is important.