Scavenging Ability of Homogentisic Acid and Ergosterol toward Free Radicals Derived from Ethanol Consumption.

Acute, or chronic, ethanol consumption leads to the formation of free radicals in the liver, which is related to hepatic damage. Among these radicals 1-hydroxyethyl, •CH(OH)CH3, is the most abundant one. Thus, efficient •CH(OH)CH3 scavengers are likely candidates to offer liver protection after ethanol consumption. In the present work ergosterol and homogentisic acid (HGA), which are found in edible mushrooms, were investigated as potential candidates to that purpose. The investigation was carried out following the QM-ORSA protocol, and using the density functional theory (DFT). The overall rate constants calculated for the •CH(OH)CH3 radical scavenging activity of ergosterol in lipid and ethanol media are 1.34 × 107 and 1.86 × 107 M-1 s-1, respectively. For homogentisic acid the overall rate constant in lipid, ethanol and aqueous media are 4.33 × 108, 2.74 × 106, and 3.62 × 107 M-1 s-1, respectively. Accordingly, both compounds are predicted to efficiently scavenge the •CH(OH)CH3 radical. Thus, the results from this investigation support the antioxidant capability of edible mushrooms, their potential beneficial effects against ethanol hepatotoxicity, and the nutraceuticals properties of ergosterol and homogentisic acid.