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The β-carotene dilemma: ESR study with coordinated peroxyl radicals

  • A. Tkáč EMAIL logo and G. Scott
Published/Copyright: June 1, 2006
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Chemical Papers
From the journal Chemical Papers Volume 60 Issue 3

Abstract

The apparently unpredictable behaviour of β-carotene in the supplementation of the diet of smokers is discussed in the light of the reactions of peroxyl radicals with β-carotene in the absence of oxygen. The decay of tert-butylperoxyl radicals in the presence of β-carotene was studied at ambient temperature in non-polar solvents by ESR spectroscopy. The primary reaction in the absence of oxygen is interpreted as a spin-trapping effect of a peroxyl radical by β-carotene producing an intermediate labile free radical, which disappears after recombination with a second tert-butylperoxyl radical. The result is the transformation of β-carotene to a diamagnetic compound with two peroxy bonds. In the presence of chelating transition metals with unpaired d-electrons as electron donors the peroxy group of the oxidized β-carotene can be split to alkoxyl free radicals. The primary attack of tert-butylperoxyl radicals is completely inhibited in the presence of vitamin E followed by production of free aryloxy radicals and the presence of oxygen has no significant effect on this reaction. Spin-trapping of peroxyl radicals by the double bond of vitamin A leads to its oxidation in the absence of vitamin E.

Transition metal ions such as Co, Cr, Fe, and Mn, known to be present in the aerosol of cigarette smoke, homolyse the peroxyl bonds of peroxidised β-carotene, which results in cell damage.

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Published Online: 2006-6-1
Published in Print: 2006-6-1

© 2006 Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Calibrationless determination of electroactive species using chronoamperograms at collector segment of interdigitated microelectrode array
  2. The β-carotene dilemma: ESR study with coordinated peroxyl radicals
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  4. A simple linear sweep voltammetric method for the determination of double-stranded DNA with malachite green
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  9. Etherification of glycerol with tert-butyl alcohol catalysed by ion-exchange resins
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https://doi.org/10.2478/s11696-006-0033-9

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Calibrationless determination of electroactive species using chronoamperograms at collector segment of interdigitated microelectrode array
  2. The β-carotene dilemma: ESR study with coordinated peroxyl radicals
  3. Determination of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural after Winkler and by the HPLC method for authentication of honey
  4. A simple linear sweep voltammetric method for the determination of double-stranded DNA with malachite green
  5. Spectral and electrochemical study of coordination molecules Cu4OX6L4: 3-Pyridylmethanol and 4-pyridylmethanol Cu4OBrnCl(6−n)(pm)4 complexes
  6. Magnetic, spectral, and thermal behaviour of 2-chloro-4-nitrobenzoates of Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II)
  7. Synthesis, characterization, and biological activities of some transition metal(II) complexes with the thiosemicarbazone derived from 4-[1-(4-methylphenylsulfonyl)-1H-indol-3-yl]but-3-en-2-one
  8. Crystal structure and thermal chemical properties of 2-(2,4-dimethylanilino)-3-methyl-6-diethylaminofluorane
  9. Etherification of glycerol with tert-butyl alcohol catalysed by ion-exchange resins
  10. Synthesis and reactions of 2-and 4-substituted furo[3,2-c]pyridines
  11. Synthetic approaches towards bisspiro[naphthalene-2(1H),3′-(3H)pyrazol]-1-one-containing compounds
  12. Mild Pfitzner—Moffat oxidation of the (1→3)-β-D-glucan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae
  13. Limited sample recovery in coupled methods of high-performance liquid chromatography of synthetic polymers
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