Hydroxyl radical is a kind of free radical produced by human body in the course of metabolism, which is
highly toxic and harmful to organisms. It can cause oxidative damage to carbohydrates, amino acids,
proteins and nucleic acids in tissues, leading to cell necrosis or mutation. Hydroxyl radical scavenging
capacity is one of the important indicators of antioxidant capacity of samples. It has been widely used in
the research of antioxidant health products and medicines.
H2O2/Fe2+ generates hydroxyl radicals through Fenton reaction, and oxidizes Fe2+ into Fe3+ in the aqueous
reagent of phenanthroline-Fe2+, resulting in the decreased absorbance of 536 nm, and the inhibition of the
decreased rate of absorbance of 536 nm, reflecting the ability of scavenging hydroxyl radicals of samples.
Reagents and Equipment Required but Not Provided.
Spectrophotometer/microplate reader, constant temperature water bath, micro glass cuvette/96 well flat-
bottom plate, centrifuge, mortar/homogenizer and distilled water.
