Influence of dietary phenolic acids on redox status of iron: Ferrous iron autoxidation and ferric iron reduction

We investigated the effect of dietary phenolic acids on the oxidation of Fe²⁺ caused by molecular oxygen. All phenolic acids bearing 3,4-dihydroxy (catechol) or 3,4,5-trihydroxy (galloyl) moiety formed chelates with ferric iron and significantly increased the rate of Fe²⁺ autoxidation. The carboxylate group and catechol substitution instead of galloyl moiety facilitated the ferrous ion oxidation more effectively. Caffeic acid and protocatechuic acid, the strongest accelerators of Fe²⁺ autoxidation, were able to facilitate autoxidation at concentrations lower than 1% of the initial amount of Fe²⁺. Therefore chelates of these catecholic acids with iron displayed ferroxidase-like activity. Conversely, when we started from ferric ions, catechols partially formed ferrous ions in the presence of ferrozine. Thus, catecholic acids formed stable chelates with iron, in which ferric ion is the dominant species, but the redox cycling of iron between Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ in chelates probably plays a crucial role in the catalysis of ferrous iron autoxidation. Interestingly, 3-hydroxybenzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and vanillic (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic) acid protected ferrous ions from autoxidation as effectively as ascorbic acid and cysteine. These monophenolic acids, differently from ascorbic acid and cysteine, were not able to reduce ferric ions. Syringic (3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxybenzoic) acid did not alter the redox state of iron, only in a large excess over metal, syringic acid slightly inhibited ferrous ions autoxidation and partially reduced ferric ions. Therefore, the effects of syringic acid at high concentration were similar but much lower to those of ascorbic acid and cysteine. The biological importance of ferroxidase-like activity of polyphenols, especially the influence on iron absorption, is also discussed.