부산대학교 도서관

Modification of bovine serum albumin (BSA) by polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) under metal-catalyzed oxidation was investigated. It was found that the incubation of BSA and PUFAs for 72 h led to the formation of high-molecular-weight proteins, lipofuscin-like fluorescent substances and protein carbonylation. The application of natural polyphenols (phloretin, epicatechin, quercetin and naringenin) was effective to interrupt these adverse impacts on proteins to various degrees. As natural polyphenols are known for their antioxidant activity for retarding lipid peroxidation, the correlation between their free radical scavenging capacity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation-induced BSA modification was further examined. A poor correlation was found, indicating polyphenols’ antioxidative action was not the sole mechanism involved. Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that some alternative mechanisms such as reactive carbonyl species (RCS)-scavenging ability of phenolic compounds might work in concert to prevent lipid peroxidation-induced on proteins and human diseases.