Ferulic acid prevents methylglyoxal-induced protein glycation, DNA damage, and apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells.

Methylglyoxal (MG) can react with amino acids of proteins to induce protein glycation and consequently the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Previous studies reported that ferulic acid (FA) prevented glucose-, fructose-, and ribose-induced protein glycation. In this study, FA (0.1-1 mM) inhibited MG-induced protein glycation and oxidative protein damage in bovine serum albumin (BSA). Furthermore, FA (0.0125-0.2 mM) protected against lysine/MG-mediated oxidative DNA damage, thereby inhibiting superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical generation during lysine and MG reaction. In addition, FA did not have the ability to trap MG. Finally, FA (0.1 mM) pretreatment attenuated MG-induced decrease in cell viability and prevented MG-induced cell apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells. The results suggest that FA is capable of protecting β-cells from MG-induced cell damage during diabetes.