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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » Cereal Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #291880
Title: In vitro antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory activity of seven common oats

Author
item CHU, YI-FANG - Pepsico
item Wise, Mitchell
item GULVADY, APEKSHA - Pepsico
item CHANG, TONY - International Chemistry Testing
item KENDRA, DAVID - Pepsico
item VAN KLINKEN, JAN-WILLEM - Pepsico
item SHI, YUHUI - Pepsico
item O'SHEA, MARIANNE - Pepsico

Submitted to: Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/25/2013
Publication Date: 8/15/2013
Citation: Chu, Y., Wise, M.L., Gulvady, A.A., Chang, T., Kendra, D.F., Van Klinken, J., Shi, Y., O'Shea, M. 2013. In vitro antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory activity of seven common oats. Food Chemistry. 139:426-31.

Interpretive Summary: Cereal grains are known to contain metabolites with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Oats, for example, contain a group of compounds termed avenanthramides. Numerous detailed laboratory studies have shown that pure avenanthramides inhibit the molecular mechanisms of the inflammatory response. In this paper the levels of avenanthramides determined in extracts from whole grains of seven oat varieties did not correlate well with the observed inhibition of a laboratory assay for inflammation. Furthermore, the levels of avenanthramides did not correlate with overall anti-oxidant activity of these extracts. Thus, it was speculated that additional components of oat may prove more effective as anti-oxidants or provide synergistic effects on these activities. The impact of this report will be to prompt further investigation into additional components of oat possessing anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.

Technical Abstract: Oats have received increased scientific and public interest for their purported antioxidant-associated health benefits, however most reported studies have concentrated on oat extracts or specific oat phytochemicals, such as beta-glucans, tocols (vitamin E) or avenanthramides. Studies on whole oat grains with respect to antioxidant capacities and anti-inflammatory activity are still lacking. Here the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity from whole groats of seven varieties were evaluated. All oat varieties compared very similar oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) compared with other whole grains. In an anti-inflammatory assay, CDC Dancer inhibited TNF-a induced NF-'B activation by 27.5% at 2mg/mL, whereas Deiter showed 13.7% inhibition at a comparable dose. Avenanthramides did not correlate with the observed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory inhibitory activity. Further investigation is needed to identify the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory active compounds, and the potential synergistic and/or matrix effect that may help explain the mechanism of actions.