Carmen Lucas-Abellán

ORAC-fluorescein assay to determine the oxygen radical absorbance capacity of resveratrol complexed in cyclodextrins.

The effect of the complexation of resveratrol with hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrins (HP-beta-CDs) on the antioxidant capacity of the polyphenol is studied for the first time by means of the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) method, using fluorescein (FL) as the fluorescent probe. The method is validated through its linearity, precision, and accuracy for measuring the ORAC of resveratrol in the absence or presence of cyclodextrins (CDs). The complexation of resveratrol in CDs increased the net area under the FL decay curve (net AUC) of resveratrol up to its saturation level, at which the polyphenol showed almost double the antioxidant activity it shows in the absence of CDs. The complexation constant ( K c) between resveratrol and HP-beta-CDs was calculated by linear regression of the phase solubility diagram ( K c = 18048 M (-1)). The antioxidant activity of resveratrol was dependent on the complexed resveratrol because CDs acts as a controlled dosage reservoir that protects resveratrol against rapid oxidation by free radicals. In this way, its antioxidant activity is prolonged and only reaches its maximum when all the resveratrol is complexed.

Comparative study of different methods to measure antioxidant activity of resveratrol in the presence of cyclodextrins

The antioxidant activity of resveratrol in the absence and presence of increasing concentrations of HP-β-CDs was determined using three different methods: ORAC, ABTS and DPPH. The three methods were validated and compared for their linearity, precision and accuracy in measuring resveratrol antioxidant activity. The results indicated that the most sensitive method is the ORAC assay, which can measure the lowest resveratrol concentration (0.15-2 μM) with the highest precision. In the presence of increasing concentrations of HP-β-CDs, the antioxidant activity of resveratrol was seen to increase when it was measured by the ORAC and ABTS assays. However, no increase was observed when the DPPH assay was used. With the ORAC assay, the antioxidant activity increased until all the resveratrol had been included in HP-β-CDs (0.4 mM CDs), whereas in the case of ABTS assay the plateau in antioxidant activity was reached after 2 mM HP-β-CDs, suggesting that the CDs interferences in the measurement method. When the DPPH assay was used, no effect was observed when increasing concentrations of HP-β-CDs, indicating that in a methanolic medium resveratrol is free. Therefore, so this method cannot be used to measure the effect of resveratrol complexation with CDs on its antioxidant activity.

Kaempferol complexation in cyclodextrins at basic pH.

The complexation of kaempferol with cyclodextrins (CDs) (beta-, G(2)-beta-, and HP-beta-CDs) in basic medium was studied, and the complexation constants (K(c)) were calculated by using enzymatic, solubility, and fluorometric methods. This is the first time that a decrease in fluorescence has been observed as result of the analyte complexation by CDs. The highest K(c) value for kaempferol complexation was obtained for HP-beta-CDs. To establish the validity of the fluorometric method for determining the K(c) between kaempferol and CDs, the same parameters were also determined by enzymatic and solubility methods. The enzymatic method was carried out by using horseradish peroxidase as oxidative enzyme, and the K(c) values obtained were similar to those obtained by using the solubility method. However, the fluorometric method underestimated the K(c) value by about 1.2-fold with respect to the other methods used. In all cases HP-beta-CDs showed the highest K(c) value, indicating that they are more efficient in the formation of inclusion complexes with kaempferol.

Preparation and characterization of the inclusion complex of chlorpyrifos in cyclodextrins to improve insecticide formulations.

The chemical control of crops by organophosphate insecticide treatment is usually limited because the insecticides do not maintain their efficiency for long periods for several reasons, including environmental conditions or rapid degradation of the active ingredient. Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide used worldwide to control a variety of soil insects and arthropods in a wide range of crops. It is easily soluble in organic solvents but shows poor water solubility. The inclusion of chrorpyrifos in cyclodextrins (CDs) improves its water solubility, bioavailability, and insecticidal activity and helps prevent overdosing, leading to more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly agricultural practices. Solubility studies of chlorpyrifos in the presence of different types of CDs show G2-beta-CDs to be the most effective CDs in the complexation process, giving 1:2 complexes, with complexation constant (Kc) values of 12.34 +/- 3.1 M(-1) for K1 and 3895 +/- 183 M(-1) for K2. These complexation constant values were corroborated by applying a fluorimetric method.

Fluorimetric determination of sulphathiazole in honey by means the formation of CDs inclusion complexes

The inclusion complex of sulphathiazole in β-cyclodextrin has been investigated. A 1:2 stoichiometry of the complex was established and formation constants K2 (42.83 ± 3.27 M(-1)) and K1 (4.98 ± 0.36 M(-1)) were calculated by using the changes produced on the native fluorescence of the drug, when included on the hydrophobic cyclodextrin cavity. An enhancement in the fluorescence emission of sulphathiazole and protection of the drug against photochemical reactions has been attained upon inclusion. In solutions of β-CD dual emission (458 nm) was noticed in STZ. Formation of the inclusion complex of STZ should result in dual emission, which is due to a twisted intramolecular charge transfer band (TICT). A fluorimetric method for the determination of sulphathiazole has been proposed and applied in honey without sample treatment. The optimized fluorimetric method showed detection and quantitation limits of 9.74 ng/g and 32.48 ng/g, respectively. Selectivity is high, showing no cross-reactivity to other chemically related antibiotics. The results obtained for blind honey samples (mean recovery 97%), were in good agreement with those obtained by liquid chromatography separation and mass spectrometry detection (LC-MS) (mean recovery 102%), showing that the proposed method might be used for the determination of sulphathiazole residues without expensive equipment.