Abstract Oxidation is a significant contributor to inflammatory responses. However, the association between antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory capacity of antioxidants is unclear. This study investigated the correlation between antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory capacity for six common standard antioxidants, namely myricetin, eriodictyol, luteolin, kaempferol, apigenin, and quercetin. The abilities of these antioxidants to scavenge DPPH, ABTS, superoxide, and hydroxyl radicals and the anti-inflammatory capacities of these antioxidants against proinflammatory mediators TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and nitric oxide were examined using a cellular inflammation model. Multivariable regression analysis was employed to quantitatively assess the mathematical relationship between antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities. The results suggested that antioxidant capacity may serve as a preliminary indicator of anti-inflammatory capacity for TNF-α (adjusted R 2 = 0.999, p < 0.01), IL-6 (adjusted R 2 = 0.958, p < 0.05), and nitric oxide (adjusted R 2 = 0.955, p < 0.05). However, the anti-inflammatory capacity models varied with antioxidant capacity tests. Significant explanatory power was not demonstrated for the IL-1β model, suggesting limitations in predicting the anti-inflammatory capacity of certain mediators. Simple antioxidant capacity tests are promising for predicting complex anti-inflammatory capacity. However, further research is necessary to elucidate the complex mechanisms underlying inflammation and the efficacy of antioxidants in mitigating inflammation.
Chen et al. (2026) studied this question.