Rapid identification of acrolein scavengers from Anoectochilus roxburghii and evaluation of their representative antiglycation and antioxidant activities.

Abstract

Acrolein (ACR), a highly reactive α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound generated during thermal food processing and lipid peroxidation, contributes to carbonyl stress and oxidative protein modification. In this study, a reaction-guided UHPLC-DAD-HRMS/MS strategy was developed to screen natural ACR scavengers from Anoectochilus roxburghii (A. roxburghii). Eight major ACR-reactive compounds were identified, and narcissoside (NAR) was selected for further validation due to its relatively high abundance and confirmed ACR reactivity. NAR directly trapped ACR in vitro through mono-, di-, and tri-adduct formation, while in vivo fecal analysis suggested that its metabolite isorhamnetin (ISO) contributed to ACR trapping. NAR also attenuated protein modification in ACR-BSA, MGO-BSA, Glu-BSA, and Fru-BSA models. Furthermore, low-dose subacute ACR exposure showed that NAR and ISO improved serum carbonyl stress, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers. These findings identify NAR as a representative ACR-trapping constituent of A. roxburghii.