An accessible HPLC-DAD method for the direct detection of acrolein-trapping compounds in complex plant matrices

Abstract

Acrolein is a highly reactive α,β-unsaturated aldehyde implicated in numerous diseases and pathological conditions. Developing strategies to alleviate its harmful effects is thus of key importance, with scavengers that trap acrolein emerging as a promising approach. Recent efforts have focused on identifying effective phytoconstituents, but detecting active components in complex plant matrices remains a challenging and time-consuming task. This study introduces a new application of HPLC-DAD for the instantaneous detection of acrolein scavengers in such complex extracts. To mimic this chemical diversity and test the method's efficiency, a multicomponent mixture of ten phytochemical standards was employed. The procedure involved pre-column incubation of the mixture with varying concentrations of acrolein, allowing for the selective identification of active components through signal reduction. The results were further validated through conventional evaluation of individual constituents, confirming the method's reliability.•Development of a novel application of HPLC-DAD for the instantaneous detection of acrolein-trapping constituents in complex plant matrices•Application of the method to a ten-phytoconstituent mixture designed to simulate the chemical complexity of a plant extract•Validation of method efficiency through comparison with conventional scavenging evaluations of individual compounds.

Keywords: Acrolein scavengers; Bioactive compounds identification; High-performance liquid chromatography; Natural products; Plant extracts; Reactive carbonyl species.

Graphical abstract

Fig. 1

Chromatographic profile of the ten-component mixture, with detection at a wavelength of 280 nm. The upper chromatogram corresponds to the negative control (0 mM acrolein), while the lower chromatogram represents the mixture following pretreatment with 5 mM acrolein. 1: protocatechuic acid, 2: esculin, 3: catechin, 4: epicatechin, 5: coumaric acid, 6: piceid, 7: rutin, 8: phloridzin, 9: resveratrol, 10: phloretin. Acrolein-trapping compounds are highlighted in red.

Fig. 2

(A) Percentage of remaining compounds after incubation of the mixture with various concentrations of acrolein (0, 1, 2.5, and 5 mM). Data are presented as means ± SEM (n = 3). * p < 0.05 vs. control (acrolein= 0 mM); (B) Heat map representation of the percentage of remaining compounds after incubation of the mixture with acrolein.

Fig. 3

Percentage of residual acrolein after incubation with individual compounds. Data are presented as means ± SEM (n = 3). * p < 0.05 vs. control (acrolein alone).