Dark and photoinduced interactions between Trolox, a polar-solvent-soluble model for vitamin E, and riboflavin

The aerobic riboflavin (Rf)-sensitized visible-light irradiation of Trolox (TX), a polar-solvent-soluble model for vitamin E, has been studied employing stationary photolysis, polarographic detection of oxygen uptake, stationary and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, and laser flash photolysis. Results indicate that in methanolic solution, no dark complexation exists between Rf and TX. The latter quenches singlet and triplet states of Rf, with rate constants of 6.2×109 M−1 s−1 and 4.7×109 M−1 s−1, respectively. The photodecomposition of Rf, a known process taking place from triplet Rf, has been found to depend on the concentration of dissolved TX: at ≥30 mM very slight Rf photodecomposition occurs due to the massive quenching of excited singlet Rf, while at TX concentrations ≤1 mM triplet Rf is photogenerated and subsequently quenched either by oxygen, giving rise to O2(1Δg), or by TX, yielding semireduced Rf through an electron transfer process. Complementary experiments performed in pure water employing superoxide dismutase and sodium azide inhibition of the oxygen uptake, in coincidence with flash photolysis data, indicate that superoxide anion and singlet molecular oxygen are generated, likely by the reaction of the anion radical from Rf with dissolved oxygen, also yielding neutral, ground state Rf or by energy transfer from triplet Rf to ground-state oxygen, respectively. The final result is that both TX and Rf are photodegraded, likely through oxidation with activated oxygen species. In the absence of oxygen no degradation of TX can be detected, but Rf photodegradation is favoured because Rf regeneration is avoided.