Protein glycation inhibitory activity of wheat bran feruloyl oligosaccharides

Protein glycation is believed to play an important role in the development of long-term disorders associated with diabetes. Water-soluble feruloyl oligosaccharides (FOs) from wheat bran, the ferulic acid esters of oligosaccharides, have been reported as natural antioxidants. The present work assesses the chelating activity of FOs and their inhibition of protein glycation in a bovine serum albumin (BSA)/glucose system, using fluorescence spectroscopy and sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE). FOs exhibited an effective ferrous ion chelating activity, and quenched the fluorescence intensity of glycated BSA in a dose-dependent manner with 64.0% of inhibition at 1.0 mg/ml. Further, the formation of advanced glycation end products in the tested system was significantly decreased by FOs, as shown by SDS–PAGE. These data indicate that FOs might be beneficial as glycation inhibitors under specified conditions.