Fruits and Vegetables: Catalase Inhibitors

Flavonoids are a class of chemicals that are found in plants, meaning they are commonly consumed within people’s diets. Flavonoids also act as inhibitors within the body. Inhibitors slow down or stop chemical reactions from taking place. In this case, the flavonoids react with the enzyme catalase to inhibit its activity. Catalase in the body is typically associated with the presence of an infection or inflammation. This leads to increased levels of hydrogen peroxide in the body, which reacts with the catalase. This study examines the flavonoids present in cherries and spinach to determine their effect on catalase activity. Flavonoids were extracted from both cherries and spinach by using a 40% ethanol solution with mashed plant material followed by liquid-liquid extraction. The extracts were added to a colorimetric assay, to determine their inhibition of catalase. When catalase activity is inhibited, the assay produces a more intense color change than when catalase is uninhibited. The intensity of the color reaction was measured at maximum wavelengths 440 nm and 640 nm. The spinach and the cherry flavonoid extracts both inhibited catalase reactions and were found to have parallel results, both showing a linear increase in inhibition as the amount of flavonoid extract increased. There was no significant difference in the inhibition between the two extracted flavonoids. These results show that flavonoids are able to slow down or stop these catalase reactions. This inhibition through the consumption of high flavonoid foods can be beneficial to the body under some pathological conditions.