Scavenging of reactive oxygen radicals by resveratrol: antioxidant effect

Pulse radiolysis of resveratrol was carried out in aqueous solutions at pH ranging from 6.5 to 10.5. The one-electron oxidized species formed by the N^•₃ radicals at pH 6.5 and 10.5 were essentially the same with λ_max at 420 nm and rate constant varying marginally (k = (5−6.5) × 10⁹ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹). The nature of the transients formed by NO^•₂, NO^• radical reaction at pH 10.5 was the same as that with N^•₃, due to the similarity in decay rates and the absorption maximum. Reaction of ^•OH radical with resveratrol at pH 7 gives an absorption maximum at 380 nm, attributed to the formation of carbon centered radical. The repair rates for the thymidine and guanosine radicals by resveratrol were approx. 1 × 10⁹ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹, while the repair rate for tryptophan was lower by nearly an order of magnitude (k = 2 × 10⁸ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹). The superoxide radical anion was scavenged by resveratrol, as well as by the Cu–resveratrol complex with k = 2 × 10⁷ and 1.5 × 10⁹ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. Its reduction potential was also measured by cyclic voltammetry.