Unusual antioxidant behavior of alpha- and gamma-terpinene in protecting methyl linoleate, DNA, and erythrocyte.

The antioxidant effects of alpha-terpinene (alpha-TH) and gamma-terpinene (gamma-TH) on the oxidation of methyl linoleate (LH), DNA, and erythrocytes induced by 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane hydrochloride) (AAPH) were investigated. The results from erythrocytes and DNA were treated by means of chemical kinetic equations. It was found that either alpha- or gamma-TH was able to scavenge approximately 0.4 radicals when they protected DNA. alpha-TH can trap approximately 0.7 radicals when protecting erythrocytes and can trap approximately 0.5 radicals when protecting LH. gamma-TH can trap approximately 1.2 radicals when protecting erythrocytes and LH. Therefore, the antioxidant effectiveness of gamma-TH was higher than alpha-TH. gamma-TH contained a nonconjugated diene, and the diene in alpha-TH was conjugated. The obtained results implied that the nonconjugated diene benefited for antioxidant capacity more than a conjugated diene. Moreover, the reactions of alpha- and gamma-TH with 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) cation radical (ABTS(+) (*)) and 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) implicated that alpha- and gamma-TH were able to scavenge radicals directly. However, alpha- and gamma-TH promoted AAPH-induced hemolysis with a high concentration employed.