Protection by the vitamins in photo-reaction induced by riboflavin and derivates

• Grant number: 12/08194-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2012
• End date: June 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry
• Principal Investigator: Mauricio da Silva Baptista
• Grantee: Natalia Angeluzzi Cunha
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Riboflavin belongs to the group of flavins, which have a high chemical versatility, they are involved in diverse biological processes, including catalysis of deshidronization of numerous substrates, transformation monoelétronics with metals when in their radical state, and the breaking of photoproducts that have genotoxic effects on DNA. On the other hand, flavins are also involved in photo-oxidative processes which are responsible for damage to the skin, including aging and cancer. It is known that riboflavin can generate oxidative species through several mechanisms of photosensitizing Type I and Type II, generating free radicals and singlet oxygen and that the vitamins are important targets of these species. Vitamins play an important role in protecting cells under irradiation, however, the decrease in activity weakens the chances of vitamin maintenance of cellular homeostasis. The activity of vitamins has been understood as antioxidants, but the mechanisms regarding the reactive species generated by light, are rarely characterized. This project aims to quantify the suppressive capacity and mechanisms for the removal of several water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins against the reactive species generated by riboflavin. Consequently, the generic goal of this project is to understand the mechanism of action of these vitamins in the protection mechanisms of the skin and the damage induced by light. We use of riboflavin derivatives were synthesized (2 ', 3', 4 ', 5'-tetracarboxi, and riboflavin-2', 3 ', 4', 5'-tetraacetic-riboflavin), which are soluble in aqueous and organic solvents, in this order, because it`s important not to restrict ourselves to the few solvents which are riboflavin and is soluble vitamins. As experimental tools, we use techniques commonly used to characterize the reactivity of transient excited species.(AU)