Antioxidant activity of Zuccagnia-type propolis: A combined approach based on LC-HRMS analysis of bioanalytical-guided fractions and computational investigation
Abstract
This study reports a combined approach to assess the antioxidant activity of Zuccagnia-type propolis. Fractions exhibiting the highest antioxidant activities evidenced by DPPH, a β-carotene bleaching and superoxide radical scavenging activity-non-enzymatic assays, were processed by LC-HRMS/MS to characterize the relevant chemical compounds. A computational protocol based on the DFT calculations was used to rationalize the main outcomes. Among the 28 identified flavonoids, caffeic acids derivatives were in the fraction exhibiting the highest antioxidant activity, with 1-methyl-3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-propyl caffeic acid ester and 1-methyl-3-(3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl)-propyl caffeic acid ester as major components. Results clearly showed roles of specific chemical motifs, which can be supported by the computational analysis. This is the first report ascribing the antioxidant ability of Zuccagnia-type propolis to its content in specific caffeic acid derivatives, a potential source of radical scavenging phytochemicals. The proposed protocol can be extended to the study of other plant-products to address the most interesting bioactive compounds.
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BibTeX
@article{solorzano2026antioxidant,
title = {{Antioxidant activity of Zuccagnia-type propolis: A combined approach based on LC-HRMS analysis of bioanalytical-guided fractions and computational investigation}},
author = {Eliana Rita Solorzano and Marco Roverso and Sara Bogialli and Marco Bortoli and Laura Orian and Denis Badocco and Silvia Pettenuzzo and Gabriella Favaro and Paolo Pastore},
journal = {Food Chemistry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.140827},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05791783v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Antioxidant activity of Zuccagnia-type propolis: A combined approach based on LC-HRMS analysis of bioanalytical-guided fractions and computational investigation
AU - Eliana Rita Solorzano
AU - Marco Roverso
AU - Sara Bogialli
AU - Marco Bortoli
AU - Laura Orian
AU - Denis Badocco
AU - Silvia Pettenuzzo
AU - Gabriella Favaro
AU - Paolo Pastore
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/11
JO - Food Chemistry
DO - 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.140827
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05791783v1
AB - This study reports a combined approach to assess the antioxidant activity of Zuccagnia-type propolis. Fractions exhibiting the highest antioxidant activities evidenced by DPPH, a β-carotene bleaching and superoxide radical scavenging activity-non-enzymatic assays, were processed by LC-HRMS/MS to characterize the relevant chemical compounds. A computational protocol based on the DFT calculations was used to rationalize the main outcomes. Among the 28 identified flavonoids, caffeic acids derivatives were in the fraction exhibiting the highest antioxidant activity, with 1-methyl-3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-propyl caffeic acid ester and 1-methyl-3-(3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl)-propyl caffeic acid ester as major components. Results clearly showed roles of specific chemical motifs, which can be supported by the computational analysis. This is the first report ascribing the antioxidant ability of Zuccagnia-type propolis to its content in specific caffeic acid derivatives, a potential source of radical scavenging phytochemicals. The proposed protocol can be extended to the study of other plant-products to address the most interesting bioactive compounds.
SN - 0308-8146
SN - 1873-7072
ER -