LABORATORY OF BIOACTIVE PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS

Our laboratory is specialized in analyzing various phenolic compounds, which are considered to be bioactive in humans. This laboratory is providing data to our clinical and epidemiological studies. We have developed analysis methods for foods to collect data about the intake of the phenolic compounds and for human samples to investigate the absorption, metabolism and excretion of the phenolic compounds. The absorption, metabolism and excretion are important parts of the studies when the health effects of certain compounds are evaluated.

Brochure about methods available is here in PDF.


ANALYTICAL METHODS

Apparatus: HPLC equipped with a coulometric electrode array detector (CEAD)

Catechins:
Food
- Epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epigallocatechingallate, epicatechingallate, catechin, gallocatechin and catechingallate
Plasma or serum
- Method is under development

Flavonoids:
Food
- Myricetin, fisetin, eriodictyol, quercetin, luteolin, naringenin, hesperetin, kaempferol,
isorhamnetin, rhamnetin
Urine
- Method is under development

Isoflavonoids:
Food
- Total isoflavones measured as daidzein, genistein, glycitein and their 7-O-glucosides
Plasma or serum
- Daidzein, genistein, glycitein and equol
Urine
- Daidzein, genistein, glycitein and equol
Feces
- Daidzein, genistein, glycitein and equol

Lignans:
Food
- Plant lignans: isolariciresinol, lariciresinol, secoisolariciresinol, syringaresinol, pinoresinol and matairesinol
Urine
- Plant lignans: isolariciresinol, lariciresinol, secoisolariciresinol, syringaresinol, pinoresinol and matairesinol
- Mammalian lignans: enterolactone and enterodiol
Plasma or serum
- Mammalian lignans: enterolactone and enterodiol
Feces
- Mammalian lignans: enterolactone and enterodiol
- Plant lignans: isolariciresinol, lariciresinol, secoisolariciresinol, syringaresinol, pinoresinol and matairesinol

Phenolic acids:
Food
- Cinnamic acid derivatives: caffeic, cholorgenic, rosmarinic, ferulic, sinapinic, p-, m-, o-coumaric acid
- Hydroxy benzoic acids: gallic, protocatechuic, vanillic, syringic, p-hydroxy benzoic acid
Urine
- Cinnamic acid derivatives: caffeic, cholorgenic, rosmarinic, ferulic, sinapinic, p-, m-, o-coumaric acid
- Hydroxy benzoic acids: gallic, protocatechuic, vanillic, syringic, p-hydroxy benzoic acid
- Phenyl propionic and acetic acids: m-hydroxy and 3,4-dihydroxy acids
- Hippuric acid derivatives under development

Catecholamines:
Urine
- Dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline

Our results and research interests

We have earlier shown an association between low serum enterolactone and increased plasma F2-isoprostanes, a measure of lipid peroxidation in the subpopulation of the ASAP study. We have now measured in the same population the urinary excretion of the mammalian (enterolactone and enterodiol) and plant lignans to study if those who had low serum enterolactone values and though high concentrations of F2-isoprostanes had low intake of the plant lignans or type of microflora not capable to metabolize effectively dietary plant lignans to mammalian lignans. The other aim in the study is to investigate the associations between plasma total homocysteine and the excretion of the phenolic acids of which some compounds are known to increase homocysteine concentration. Phenolic acids and lignans are obtained from the same dietary sources and therefore it is important to study these both groups together because they may have opposite effects in humans.

The high serum concentrations of mammalian lignan enterolactone have been associated with decreased risk of acute coronary event and breast cancer. The excretion profiles of the phenolic compounds which are metabolites of different dietary precursors are studied to investigate if also other similar indicators of the decreased risk of diseases like enterolactone can be found. The direct evidence of the bioactivity of many phenolic compounds in humans is lacking or the data is inconsistent and also the mechanisms of action are unknown.

Under preparation is a doctoral thesis of these HPLC methods developed for different phenolic compounds in biological matrices. Applications of these analysis methods and the data analyses of the dietary records in connection to the metabolism and excretion of these phenolic compounds will be published in future.

More information about our studies and methods:
tarja.nurmi@uku.fi

Karppi J, Nurmi T, Olmedilla-Alonso B, Granado-Lorencio F, Nyyssönen K. Simultaneous measurement of retinol, alpha-tocopherol and six carotenoids in human plasma by using an isocratic reversed-phase HPLC method. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2008 Apr 12. [Epub ahead of print]

Penalvo JL, Nurmi T, Haajanen K, Al-Maharik N, Botting N, Adlercreutz H. Determination of lignans in human plasma by liquid chromatography with coulometric electrode array detection. Anal Biochem 2004 15;332:384-93.

Penalvo J, Nurmi T. Application of coulometric electrode array detection to the analysis of isoflavonoids and lignans. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2006 28;41:1497-507.

Nurmi T, Heinonen S, Mazur W, Deyama T, Nishibe S, Adlercreutz H. Lignans in selected wines. Food Chemistry 2003;83:303-309.

Nurmi T, Voutilainen S, Nyyssönen K, Adlercreutz H, Salonen JT. HPLC method for plant and mammalian lignans in human urine. Journal of Chromatography B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2003 Dec 5;798(1):101-10.

Vanharanta M, Mursu J, Nurmi T, Voutilainen S, Rissanen TH, Adlercreutz H, Salonen JT. Phloem fortification in rye bread elevates serum enterolactone level. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002;56:952-957.

Vanharanta M, Voutilainen S, Nurmi T, Kaikkonen J, Roberts L J, Morrow JD, Adlercreutz H, Salonen JT. Association between low serum enterolactone and increased plasma F2-isoprostanes, a measure of lipid peroxidation. Atherosclerosis 2002;160:465-469.

Nurmi, T., Mazur, W., Heinonen, S., Kokkonen, J., Adlercreutz, H. Isoflavone content of the soy based supplements. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 2002;28:1-11.

Heinonen, S., Nurmi, T., Liukkonen, K., Poutanen, K., Wähälä, K., Deyama, T., Nishibe, S., Adlercreutz, H. In vitro metabolism of plant lignans: new precursors of mammalian lignans enterolactone and enterodiol. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2001;49:3178-3186.

Nurmi, T., Adlercreutz, H. Sensitive HPLC method for profiling phytoestrogen using coulometric electrode array detection: application to plasma analysis. Analytical Biochemistry 1999;274:110-117.

For further information, please contact Sari Voutilainen (sari.voutilainen@uku.fi)