Polyhydroxylated 4-thiaflavans as multipotent antioxidants: protective effect on oxidative DNA damage in vitro.

Hydroxylated 4-thiaflavans, possessing the antioxidant features of catechol containing flavonoids and/or tocopherols, were evaluated as protective agents against oxidation damage induced in herring sperm DNA by cumene hydroperoxide (CumOOH) or by the glutathione/ferric ion (GSH/Fe(3+)) system. Our data indicate that the effective protection exerted by some of the tested compounds is overall higher than those provided by catechin and alpha-tocopherol, which might be attributed both to the scavenging properties and chelation of Fe(2+) ions.