1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and tyrosinase inhibitory effects of constituents of sugarcane molasses.

In the course of our work into the use of cane by-products, we have studied the isolation and structural determination of bioactive compounds in sugarcane molasses. In this study, three stereo isomers of syringyl glycerol 3'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, three stereo isomers of guaiacyl glycerol 3'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, a syringyl glycerol 2'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, tachioside and a 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4-(H)-pyran-4-one (DDMP) were isolated from the 25% methanol eluate by Amberlite XAD-2 column chromatography of sugarcane molasses. The structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. These isolated compounds were examined for their scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical species, and for their inhibitory activity against mushroom tyrosinase. All of the isolated compounds showed DPPH radical scavenging activity, while DDMP and tachioside showed mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory activity.