In Vitro Preliminary Evidences on the Antioxidant Properties of Biogenic Amines

Antioxidant properties of the principal biogenic amines were determined in vitro by four analytical methods—Folin Ciocalteu, DPPH, enzymatic and inhibition of lipid peroxidation—in order to avoid possible measuring-method linked mistakes. Different results are obtained, depending on the parameters that each of them measures. The combination of the data indicates that all examined amines show antioxidant characteristics: in particular, tyramine, serotonin, L-norepinephrine, (-)-epinephrine and dopamine owing to their (poly)phenolic structure too, while aliphatic polyamines-spermine, spermidine, putrescine and cadaverine-histamine, melatonin and tryptamine appear to act specifically on the oxygen-consuming species involved in the lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids.