Identification of aminoreductones as active components in Maillard reaction mixtures inducing nuclear NF‐κB translocation in macrophages

Coffee, a highly processed food, and Maillard mixtures are able to activate nuclear factor κB translocation in macrophages via generation of hydrogen peroxide. In this study, a substructure library was prepared and used to identify Maillard products that are responsible for this effect. Three different Maillard reaction products with aminoreductone substructure (C₆‐aminoreductone, C₄‐aminoreductone, and aminohexose reductone) strongly induce nuclear factor κB translocation in macrophages. The effect was almost completely blocked by co‐incubation with catalase, indicating that cellular activation was mediated by the ability of the test compounds to generate hydrogen peroxide. The cellular effect of a Maillard mixture, which was produced under conditions favoring aminoreductone formation, could be almost completely related to the presence of C₆‐aminoreductone.