Synergistic and antagonistic antioxidant effects in two-component mixtures of selected polyphenols and L-ascorbic acid

Abstract

Vitamins, phenolic compounds and carotenoids are the most common natural antioxidant substances found in fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants protect cells from oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species and other radicals. There may be interactions between these components, both enhancing the antioxidant effect and weakening it. The synergistic effect is characterized by the fact that the theoretical sum of the effects of the individual components in a mixture is lower than the observed value, and antagonistic when the expected sum of effects is higher than their observed value. If there are no interactions between the individual substances tested, and the expected and observed values do not differ significantly from each other, we can observe an additive effect. Due to the growing interest in natural antioxidants, we can observe their increasing use in dietary supplements and cosmetics. Thanks to the
knowledge about possible interactions, we can create commercial products with better antioxidant properties, while optimizing their composition. The publication presents the results of the interaction studies between ascorbic acid and selected phenolic acids, flavonoids and coumarins. Antioxidant properties were determined by FRAP, ABTS, Folin-Ciocalteau and DPPH methods. The antagonistic, synergistic or additive effects of the mixtures were determined in comparison to the pure compounds.