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Volume 30
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10.3390/molecules30112346
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Article

Superoxide Scavenging by Capers and Kaempferol, Measured by Hydrodynamic Voltammetry, Shows Kaempferol Synergistic Action with Vitamin C; Density Functional Theory (DFT) Results Support Experimental Kaempferol Catalytic Behavior Similar to Superoxide Dismutases (SODs)

by
Miriam Rossi
1,*,
Stuart Belli
1,
Paloma Velez
1,
Alessio Caruso
2,
Camilla Morresi
3,
Tiziana Bacchetti
3 and
Francesco Caruso
1,*
1
Department of Chemistry, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
2
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
3
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molecules 2025, 30(11), 2346; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112346
Submission received: 14 April 2025 / Revised: 6 May 2025 / Accepted: 18 May 2025 / Published: 27 May 2025
Versions Notes

Abstract

In this work, we measured the antioxidant capacity of capers (Capparis spinosa L.) and an important component, kaempferol, as scavengers of the superoxide radical anion using hydrodynamic voltammetry with a rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE). Comparing our electrochemical results to other natural products studied using this method, this work demonstrates that kaempferol is a stronger antioxidant than vitamin C, whereas caper extract has weaker antioxidant capability than olive oil. We also investigated the synergistic scavenging relationship between vitamin C and kaempferol and found it to be potent, as all the available superoxide radicals were consumed in the presence of both compounds. Such a dramatic RRDE result was observed for the first time in our laboratory. We then utilized computational Density Functional Theory (DFT) methods to establish a viable mechanism, reminiscent of that exhibited by superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes, for the scavenging behavior of kaempferol. In the enzymatic reaction, two molecules of the superoxide radical anion with the assistance of two protons are disproportioned into one molecule of hydrogen peroxide and one oxygen molecule. Our DFT results show kaempferol mimicking superoxide dismutase (SOD) action when one kaempferol molecule reacts with two superoxide radicals and two protons (which can be provided by ascorbic acid); i.e., kaempferol acts as a catalyst that is restored after a cycle of superoxide scavenging. This mechanism is consistent with our experimental RRDE results.
Keywords: kaempferol; capers; voltammetry; superoxide; DFT; synergy kaempferol; capers; voltammetry; superoxide; DFT; synergy

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MDPI and ACS Style

Rossi, M.; Belli, S.; Velez, P.; Caruso, A.; Morresi, C.; Bacchetti, T.; Caruso, F. Superoxide Scavenging by Capers and Kaempferol, Measured by Hydrodynamic Voltammetry, Shows Kaempferol Synergistic Action with Vitamin C; Density Functional Theory (DFT) Results Support Experimental Kaempferol Catalytic Behavior Similar to Superoxide Dismutases (SODs). Molecules 2025, 30, 2346. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112346

AMA Style

Rossi M, Belli S, Velez P, Caruso A, Morresi C, Bacchetti T, Caruso F. Superoxide Scavenging by Capers and Kaempferol, Measured by Hydrodynamic Voltammetry, Shows Kaempferol Synergistic Action with Vitamin C; Density Functional Theory (DFT) Results Support Experimental Kaempferol Catalytic Behavior Similar to Superoxide Dismutases (SODs). Molecules. 2025; 30(11):2346. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112346

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rossi, Miriam, Stuart Belli, Paloma Velez, Alessio Caruso, Camilla Morresi, Tiziana Bacchetti, and Francesco Caruso. 2025. "Superoxide Scavenging by Capers and Kaempferol, Measured by Hydrodynamic Voltammetry, Shows Kaempferol Synergistic Action with Vitamin C; Density Functional Theory (DFT) Results Support Experimental Kaempferol Catalytic Behavior Similar to Superoxide Dismutases (SODs)" Molecules 30, no. 11: 2346. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112346

APA Style

Rossi, M., Belli, S., Velez, P., Caruso, A., Morresi, C., Bacchetti, T., & Caruso, F. (2025). Superoxide Scavenging by Capers and Kaempferol, Measured by Hydrodynamic Voltammetry, Shows Kaempferol Synergistic Action with Vitamin C; Density Functional Theory (DFT) Results Support Experimental Kaempferol Catalytic Behavior Similar to Superoxide Dismutases (SODs). Molecules, 30(11), 2346. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112346

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