A review of the antioxidant mechanisms of polyphenol compounds related to iron binding.

In this review, primary attention is given to the antioxidant (and prooxidant) activity of polyphenols arising from their interactions with iron both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, an overview of oxidative stress and the Fenton reaction is provided, as well as a discussion of the chemistry of iron binding by catecholate, gallate, and semiquinone ligands along with their stability constants, UV-vis spectra, stoichiometries in solution as a function of pH, rates of iron oxidation by O(2) upon polyphenol binding, and the published crystal structures for iron-polyphenol complexes. Radical scavenging mechanisms of polyphenols unrelated to iron binding, their interactions with copper, and the prooxidant activity of iron-polyphenol complexes are briefly discussed.