Examination of the Antioxidant Activity of Psoralidin: Computational Mechanistic Study and Impact on the ROS Level in Human Keratinocytes.

Psoralidin () is a coumestan-type compound found in L. that exhibits a broad spectrum of pharmacological properties. The current work aimed to study, for the first time, the antioxidant capacities of under physiological circumstances. Tandem experimental and computational approaches were used to fully understand the interaction of with ROS (reactive oxygen species) at the molecular level as well as its impact on the basal ROS level in cells. has been found to be a potent radical scavenger in physiological polar media, acting via the single electron-transfer mechanism rather than the hydrogen-transfer mechanism. In contrast, is a moderate radical scavenger in lipid media, and its reaction is determined by hydrogen transfer from the 7OH group. The in vitro assays revealed that moderately reduces the basal ROS level in human keratinocytes at non-toxic concentrations, which is in agreement with the computational study. These findings indicate that is a promising antioxidant, but in its natural form it has no significant effects on basal cell conditions.