INSERTION OF GALLIC ACID ONTO XYLAN FROM CORNCOBS INCREASE ITS ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY IN VITRO AND IN VIVO
modified polysaccharides; oxidative damage; corn cob xylan; antioxidant activity; gallic acid
Agricultural production of corn generates byproducts that are rich in bioactive polysaccharides, including xylan. A polysaccharide that has an established extraction method and known antioxidant, antiproliferative, immunomodulatory and anticoagulant capacity. Modifications to polysaccharides are performed both to beget new pharmacological properties and to improve some features there are already known. Therefore, it was proposed the conjugation of xylan extracted from corncob (Xyl) with gallic acid (GA) in order to maximize its antioxidant capacity. Conjugation gave to conjugated xylan molecule (Xyl-GA) an increase in total antioxidant capacity (TAC), reducing power, hydroxyl radical sequestration and cupric chelation, compared to Xyl. It is important to emphasize this is the first time that reducing power and sequestering activity of hydroxyl radical presented by xylans extracted from corncob. Thus, it was possible to visualize the success in matching Xyl with GA, which a potentiation in antioxidant activity was obtained compared to Xyl. Moreover, further experiments will be needed to determine the molecular structure of the new compound and to correlate it with pharmacological activities.