Which Constituents Determine the Antioxidant Activity and Cytotoxicity of Garlic? Role of Organosulfur Compounds and Phenolics

Overview

Journal Int J Mol Sci

Publisher MDPI

Specialties Biochemistry
Chemistry
Molecular Biology

Date 2024 Aug 10

PMID 39125961

Authors

Paulina Furdak

Grzegorz Bartosz

Izabela Sadowska-Bartosz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Garlic is a vegetable with numerous pro-health properties, showing high antioxidant capacity, and cytotoxicity for various malignant cells. The inhibition of cell proliferation by garlic is mainly attributed to the organosulfur compounds (OSCs), but it is far from obvious which constituents of garlic indeed participate in the antioxidant and cytotoxic action of garlic extracts. This study aimed to obtain insight into this question by examining the antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity of six OSCs and five phenolics present in garlic. Three common assays of antioxidant activity were employed (ABTS decolorization, DPPH decolorization, and FRAP). Cytotoxicity of both classes of compounds to PEO1 and SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells, and MRC-5 fibroblasts was compared. Negligible antioxidant activities of the studied OSCs (alliin, allicin, -allyl-D-cysteine, allyl sulfide, diallyl disulfide, and diallyl trisulfide) were observed, excluding the possibility of any significant contribution of these compounds to the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of garlic extracts estimated by the commonly used reductive assays. Comparable cytotoxic activities of OSCs and phenolics (caffeic, -coumaric, ferulic, gallic acids, and quercetin) indicate that both classes of compounds may contribute to the cytotoxic action of garlic.

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