Relative antioxidant activity of soybean isoflavones and their glycosides

The present study compared the antioxidant potency of genistein and daidzein with their corresponding glycosides isolated from soybean seeds. The antioxidant activity was assessed using three methods, namely human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, the ferric reducing-antioxidant power (FRAP) and the anti-DPPH free radical assays. It was found that soybean was rich in genistein and daidzein but they were present mainly in form of glycosides. Both the FRAP and the anti-DPPH assays demonstrated that these glycosides, as well as genistin, daidzein, glycitin, malonyl glycitin and malonyl genistein possessed similar antioxidant activities to their corresponding aglycones, genistein and daidzein. In contrast, the antioxidant potency of these glycosides was much weaker than their corresponding aglycones, genistein and daidzein, in the LDL oxidation assay. The present results demonstrate that genistein and daidzein were less effective, as antioxiants in the three assays, than two well-defined antioxidants, green tea epicatechin and α-tocopherol. It is concluded that soybean isoflavones and their glycosides possess antioxidant activity but they are ineffective antioxidants compared with tea epicatechins and α-tocopherol. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.