Heat treatment enhances the NO-suppressing and peroxynitrite-intercepting activities of kumquat (Fortunella margarita Swingle) peel.

In Taiwan, folk remedies containing dried kumquats (Fortunella margarita Swingle) are used to cure inflammatory respiratory disorders. The induction of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase in inflammatory cells and increased airway production of NO and peroxynitrite, its derivative, are key events in such disorders. Although heat is known to affect the antioxidant activity of citrus peels, the effects of dehydration and heating on NO suppression and on the interception of peroxynitrite are unclear. We determined the NO-suppressing activities of freeze-dried, oven-dried, and heat-treated kumquat extracts by measuring their inhibition of NO production in lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, we evaluated the attenuation of peroxynitrite-mediated nitrotyrosine formation in albumin. Heating, but not oven drying, enhanced the ability of kumquat peels to suppress NO and intercept peroxynitrite, as compared with freeze drying. However, heat treatment and oven drying of kumquat flesh attenuated these activities; these effects were at least partially attributed to heat-susceptible ascorbate.