Attenuation of protein glycation by phenolic compounds of Salvia subg. Perovskia: Insights from experimental and computational studies

Despite the fact that most of the studied activities of plant phenolic compounds rely on their antioxidant properties, few clues about their antiglycation activity are available. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential of phenolic compounds to suppress the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the leaf and root system of two Salvia subg. perovskia species. The study evaluated the antiglycation activity of the plant species and the main polyphenolic profiles in the bovine serum albumin (BSA)/methylglyoxal (MGO) system. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis also revealed the presence of rosmarinic acid, gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid and rutin. The study found that rosmarinic acid and rutin were the major phenolic compounds in both species. The leaf crude extracts possessed a higher inhibitory effect against BSA glycation than from other parts. The study concluded that rutin can successfully interact with the key residues of Asp108, His145, Tyr147, Arg196, and Arg458. The results of the study can provide new insights into the development of effective molecules for the treatment of conformational protein diseases.