Dynamics of action of bisphenol as radical-scavenging antioxidant against lipid peroxidation in solution and liposomal membranes

Probucol is used commercially as an antiatherogenic drug. Bisphenol is formed in vivo as a metabolite of probucol. The structure of bisphenol suggests the antioxidant function but its capacity has not been studied in detail. In the present study, dynamics of the antioxidant action of bisphenol were studied in several model systems and compared with those of probucol and alpha-tocopherol. The reactivity toward radicals and antioxidant activity of bisphenol per se were found to be much smaller than those of alpha-tocopherol or N,N'-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD) but stronger than probucol. However, bisphenol spared alpha-tocopherol in the oxidation of phosphatidylcholine liposomal membranes and it spared DPPD and acted as a synergist against the oxidant of methyl linoleate in solution. These results imply that bisphenol may act as a potent antioxidant in combination with other antioxidants.