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Abstract
Three Algerian honey samples (nectar honey, mixed honey and honeydew honey) were analysed for their total phenolic content (TPC) using the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent and total flavonoid content (TFC) by the aluminium chloride method. The antioxidant activity was tested both against reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-stimulated equine polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and on purified equine myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzyme activity. The ROS production by stimulated PMNs was measured by lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence. Specific immunological extraction followed by enzymatic detection (SIEFED) was used to measure specifically the activity of equine MPO. Nectar honey, mixed honey and honeydew honey had TPCs of 59.52 ± 1.31, 68.36 ± 1.20 and 122.76 ± 4.20 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g honey, respectively (mean ± SD). As for the TPC, the highest TFC was observed for honeydew honey [20.55 ± 0.72 mg catechine equivalents (CE)/100 mg honey], followed by mixed honey (7.47 ± 0.07 CE/100 mg honey) and nectar honey (4.80 ± 0.08 CE/100 mg honey). All the tested honeys displayed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the oxidant activities of PMNs. By the SIEFED technique, it was shown that most of the honeys interact directly with MPO: the light honeys (nectar honey and mixed honey) were inhibitors of MPO activity, while the dark honey had less inhibiting effect and even behaved as an enhancer of MPO activity at high concentrations.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Mrs Ariane Niesten and Jennifer Romainville for their technical assistance.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This work was supported by Centre for Oxygen, Research and Development (CORD), University of Liege, funded by the National Fund for Scientific Research (NFSR) Belgium.