Phenolic acids improve the antioxidant activity of ceruloplasmin isolated from plasma of healthy volunteers and atherosclerotic patients

The aim of the present study was to estimate the ability of individual phenolic acids to eliminate Fe(II) ions from the solution. Moreover, the influence of phenolic acids on the ferroxidase activity of ceruloplasmin (Cp) isolated from blood plasma of healthy volunteers (CpC) and patients with atherosclerosis obliterans (CpAO) was established in vitro. Phenolic acids demonstrated a ferroxidase-like activity, i.e. the ability to eliminate Fe(II) ions, within the studied concentration range of 2.0-17.0 mol 10-5 dm-3, in the following order of decreasing effectiveness: caffeic acid (CA)>ellagic acid (EA)>chlorogenic acid (ChA)>ferulic acid (FA) ≈ p-coumaric acid (PcA) = sinapic acid (SA). The study showed that the ability of phenolic acids to eliminate Fe(II) ions by oxidation or chelation was related to the structure of the former, to the presence of orto -OH groups, especially. Furthermore, the effect of the molar ratio of phenolic acid to Fe(II) ion was observed. EA and ChA, both containing two orto-OH groups and the highest number of –OH groups (4 and 5, respectively), demonstrated the greatest ability to eliminate Fe(II) ions, especially at the Fe(II) to phenolic acid molar ratio of 6:1. Phenolic acids added to samples with a constant amount of Cp caused decrease in the concentration of Fe(II) ions. Therefore, it may be assumed that the addition of phenolic acids to CpC and CpAO, even in low concentrations, caused a significant decrease in the concentration of Fe(II) ions.