On-line screening methods for antioxidants scavenging superoxide anion radical and hydrogen peroxide by liquid chromatography with indirect chemiluminescence detection

The identification of radical species is possible by the electron spin resonance technique. However, the antioxidants in complex matrices such as biological and food samples are difficult to determine. Hence, we developed novel screening systems for antioxidants, which are mainly eliminating superoxide anion radical (O2−) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), by HPLC with luminol-based chemiluminescence (CL) detection. When the sample contains antioxidants, inhibited peaks corresponding to each antioxidant are observed on the chromatogram. The antioxidant activities of catechins and flavones were determined with flow injection analysis by the proposed indirect CL. The scavenging activity for H2O2 and O2− were different from each catechin and flavone. Furthermore, the potential was dependent upon the number and the position of OH functional group in the structure. Some applications such as the screening of antioxidants in tea products were also investigated. In spite of many peaks appeared on the chromatogram at UV detection, only the peaks corresponding to the compounds having elimination effect to O2− and/or H2O2 were detected as inhibited peaks. Consequently, the proposed HPLC-CL seems to provide new screening systems for antioxidants possessing inhibition activity of O2− and H2O2.