Counteraction of the deleterious effects of reactive oxygen species on hemoglobin structure and function by ellagic acid

Ellagic acid (EA) has been gaining a considerable attention in recent years. The interest in non-drug and herbal base therapies is being increased. EA is a biological molecule found in different fruits and seeds, which is known to have the ability to scavenge reactive oxygen radicals. It has been observed that methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) has destructive effects on structure and function of hemoglobin (Hb), an important respiratory blood protein. This conclusion is reached from our far-UV circular dichroism, Soret band absorption, fluorescence and oxygen affinity measurements. It has also been observed from our chemiluminscence measurements that ROS production is increased in the presence of MTBE which degrades heme in Hb. The main goal of this study was to offer a way to scavenge ROS produced during MTBE interaction with Hb. We report that EA decreased the heme degradation and ROS production in Hb solutions containing MTBE.