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Metal Chelation Using Natural Compounds and Its Effect on Catalase Activity: Implications in Neurodegenerative Diseases

CSEF · 2013 Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology

Nicolo R. Daug, Michael S. Decicco · Bakersfield Christian High School, Bakersfield, Kern County

Overview

Objectives/Goals Because metal dysregulation has been linked to the development of neurodegenerative diseases, the objective of this project was to determine: (1)Which metal ion,copper, iron or zinc, inhibits catalase the most? And (2)Which natural chelator, green tea, curcumin or garlic, is the most effective in diminishing the inhibitory effect of metal ions on catalase? Methods/Materials A gas-collecting apparatus was set up using a stoppered flask, tubing, and an inverted graduated cylinder filled with water. Catalase was injected into the flask with H2O2 and the volume of oxygen released was measured after 1 minute. For Phase 1, to determine which metal inhibited catalase the most, we tested catalase alone for control, catalase + copper, catalase + iron, and catalase + zinc, doing 10 replicates for each. For Phase 2, the metal as determined in Phase 1 was mixed with catalase , then either green tea, curcumin or garlic was added to allow chelation. The catalase-metal ion-natural chelator mixture was then injected into the flask with H2O2. Volume of oxygen released was again measured after 1 minute. Results For Phase 1, the average volume of oxygen released for control, copper, iron, and zinc was 84ml, 70ml, 76ml, and 79ml respectively. Copper inhibited catalase the most with a 16.7% decrease in O2 released compared to control, followed by iron at 9.5%, and zinc at 6.0%. For Phase 2, when the natural compounds were added to the copper-catalase mixture, the average volume of O2 released were as follows: 83ml for green tea, 81ml for garlic, and 73ml for curcumin. With the addition of green tea to the copper-catalase mixture, volume of O2 released (83ml) almost equaled the volume of O2 released for catalase alone (84ml)with a minimal 1.2% difference. This showed that green tea practically negated the inhibitory effect of copper on catalase. Garlic performed almost as well as green tea with a 3.6% difference from control. Curcumin had the least effect with a 13.1% difference probably because it had low solubility in water. Conclusions/Discussion The metal ion that inhibited catalase activity the most was copper, followed by iron, then zinc. Among the natural chelators, green tea diminished the inhibitory effect of copper on catalase the most, followed by garlic, then curcumin. These results can have significant implications in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Summary statement

This project is about determining which metal ion inhibits catalase the most and which natural chelator is the most effective in diminishing the inhibitory effects of metals on catalase.

Help received

Mrs. Reed, our Chemistry teacher, helped supply materials.

Competition history

  • CSEF 2013 Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology · Entry S0502

Resources

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