Abstract
As a phenolic alkaloid occurring in Cruciferous plants, sinapine was observed to protect mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) against ·OH-induced damage in this study. It was also found to prevent DNA from damage, to scavenge various free radicals (·OH, ·O2−, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid diammonium salt) (ABTS)+·, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH·)), and to reduce Cu2+ to Cu+. To further explore the mechanism, the end-product of sinapine reaction with DPPH· was determined using HPLC-electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS/MS and HPLC-diode array detector (DAD). Four molecular ion peaks (m/z 701, 702, 703, and 351) in HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis indicated a radical adduct formation (RAF) pathway; while a bathochromic shift (λmax 334→475 nm) in HPLC-DAD indicated the formation of quinone as the oxidized product of the phenolic –OH group. Based on these results, it may be concluded that, (i) sinapine can effectively protect against ·OH-induced damage to DNA and MSCs; such protective effect may provide evidence for a potential role for sinapine in MSC transplantation therapy, and be responsible for the beneficial effects of Cruciferous plants. (ii) The possible mechanism for sinapine to protect against ·OH-induced oxidative damage is radical-scavenging, which is thought to be via hydrogen atom (H·) transfer (HAT) (or sequential electron (e) proton transfer (SEPT))→RAF pathways.
