Intracellular antioxidant effect of vanillin, 4-methylguaiacol and 4-ethylguaiacol: three components in Chinese Baijiu

Abstract

Vanillin, 4-methylguaiacol, and 4-ethylguaiacol, three bioactive components in Chinese Baijiu (Chinese liquor), were evaluated in terms of their possible antioxidant activities by DPPH, ABTS, ORAC, reducing power, metal chelation assays, and AAPH-induced HepG2 cell model. In in vitro chemical assays, vanillin, 4-methylguaiacol, and 4-ethylguaiacol exhibited stronger antioxidant activities than Trolox in ABTS, ORAC, and reducing power assays. Furthermore, three levels of treatment (1000, 500 and 10 mg L⁻¹) of vanillin, 4-methylguaiacol, and 4-ethylguaiacol were assessed in the AAPH-induced HepG2 cell model. The results show that vanillin, 4-methylguaiacol, and 4-ethylguaiacol exerted similar antioxidant activities in a dose-dependent manner, and relieved the increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) quickly and efficiently; they also markedly improved AAPH-induced alterations in oxidative stress biomarkers and antioxidant enzymes, and were even more effective than Trolox. These findings indicate that vanillin, 4-methylguaiacol, and 4-ethylguaiacol are potent natural antioxidants in Chinese Baijiu, and this lays the foundation for better illustrating the health benefits of Chinese Baijiu.