ANTIOXIDANT AND RADICAL SCAVENGING EFFECTS OF ANTHRAQUINONES AND ANTHRONES

The activity of seven anthraquinones and four anthrones against nonenz ymatic and enzymatic lipid peroxidation in vitro and their ability to scavenge free radicals have been studied. In nonenzymatic peroxidation in rat hepatocytes induced by t-butyl hydroperoxide, dithranol and an throne were the strongest antioxidants, having IC50 values of 8 +/- 1 and 24 +/- 5 mumol/l, respectively. Rhein (IC50 64 +/- 2 mumol/l) and aloeemodin (IC50 65 +/- 3 mumol/l) showed the highest inhibitory activ ity against peroxidation of linoleic acid catalyzed by soybean 15-lipo xygenase. Anthrone (IC50 62 +/- 2 mumol/l), dithranol (IC50 72 +/- 1 m umol/l) and rhein anthrone (IC50 76 +/- 6 mumol/l) were the most effec tive radical scavengers of the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical. The ant ioxidant activities in hepatocytes and the radical scavenging activiti es were correlated, whereas the inhibition of enzymatic lipid peroxida tion showed no correlation with the two other effects.