Applicability of fluorescence from Maillard reaction as indicator of biomolecule damage

MATIACEVICH, SILVIA B.; SANTAGAPITA, PATRICIO R.; BUERA, M. PILAR

San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina

Simposio; Bariloche Protein Symposium; 2003

Sociedad Argentina en Investigaciones en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular (SAIB)- Sociedad Argentina de Biofísica (SAB)

The purpose of this work was to analyse the characteristics of fluorescence development from sugar-carbonyl amine reactions (Maillard reaction) in foods, biological and model systems, theirmanifestations in living organisms, like seeds, and their relationship to human diseases. In the area of physiology, fluorescence has continued to be used since 1985, when advanced glycosylated end-products (AGEs) were detected in human beings suffering diabetes and other diseases as a consequence of the reaction of glucose with long-lived proteins. In living organisms, the excessive non-enzymatic glycosylation of proteins produces major biological effects, like crosslinking of the modified proteins and trapping of soluble proteins by glycosylated extracellular proteins, decreasing proteolysis and promoting human health deterioration. The characteristic fluorescence of AGEs (ex 370/em 440 nm) has been used as an indicator of the level of AGEmodified proteins since 1985 in research work. However, the chemical structure of many AGE fluorophores is still unknown, and only some fluorescent products were described. The utility of fluorescence measurement as index to follow the degree of reaction was analyzed in systems of variable composition under different environmental conditions to clarify if fluorescent products can be considered early markers of the reaction. The conditions under which chromophores, AGEs and fluorophores are formed are discussed.