Bioavailability and efficiency of rutin as an antioxidant : a human supplementation study

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 54; no. 10; pp. 774 - 782
• Main Authors: BOYLE, S. P, DOBSON, V. L, DUTHIE, S. J, HINSELWOOD, D. C, KYLE, J. A. M, COLLINS, A. R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing 01-10-2000; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Absorption; Adolescent; Adult; Agriculture; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - administration & dosage; Antioxidants - pharmacokinetics; Ascorbic acid; Bioavailability; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Availability; Blood; Cancer research; Carotenoids; Chemical damage; Chemical properties; Clinical nutrition; Deoxyguanosine; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA Damage; Female; Fisheries; Flavonoids; Flavonoids - blood; Flavonoids - metabolism; General and cellular metabolism. Vitamins; Hematology; Human experimentation in medicine; Humans; Kaempferol; Liver; Liver - physiology; Lymphocytes; Malondialdehyde; Medical research; Medical sciences; Methods; Middle Aged; Nutrition; Nutritional Status; Oxidation; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Pharmacokinetics; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phenol - blood; Physiological aspects; Placebos; Plasma; Prostaglandin F2a; Pyrimidines; Quercetin; Rutin; Rutin - administration & dosage; Rutin - pharmacokinetics; Seasonal variations; Seasons; Self-experimentation in medicine; Single-Blind Method; Time Factors; Tocopherols; United States; Human; Quercetin; Adult; Female; Supplementation; Antioxidant; Pharmacokinetics; Flavonoid; Biological activity; Blood plasma
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601090

To determine the potential antioxidant effect of rutin (quercetin-3-O-beta-rutinoside) supplementation.
A 6-week randomized single-blind placebo controlled trial was conducted; 500 mg rutin supplement was compared to an equivalent amount of glucose placebo. In addition, a pharmacokinetic study was carried out.
The Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen, UK.
Eighteen healthy non-obese normocholesterolaemic female volunteers in the age range 18-48 y.
Plasma flavonoids, ascorbic acid, tocopherols and carotenoids, plasma antioxidant capacity, lymphocyte DNA damage, blood chemistry and haematology, liver function tests, urinary malondialdehyde, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine and 8-iso-prostaglandin F2alpha.
Eighteen volunteers completed the trial. Rutin supplementation did not induce any adverse changes in blood chemistry or indices of liver function. Plasma flavonoids were significantly elevated in the rutin-supplemented group. Endogenous oxidation of pyrimidines was significantly decreased in both rutin- and placebo-treated volunteers. There was no significant change in the level of urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine or urinary malondialdehyde in either group. A linear correlation was observed between urinary malondialdehyde and urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F2alpha (R = 0.54, P<0.01).
Six weeks' rutin supplementation significantly elevated the levels of three plasma flavonoids (quercetin. kaempferol and isorhamnetin) but there was no significant change in plasma antioxidant status. The decrease in the level of endogenous base oxidation in lymphocyte DNA seen in both the placebo- and rutin-supplemented subjects may reflect seasonal changes in other dietary antioxidants.