Rapid identification of acrolein scavengers from Anoectochilus roxburghii and evaluation of their representative antiglycation and antioxidant activities

A reaction-guided strategy enabled rapid screening of acrolein scavengers. • Eight acrolein-reactive compounds were identified from Anoectochilus roxburghii . • Narcissoside inhibited AGEs formation and protein glycoxidation. • NAR and ISO alleviated ACR-induced carbonyl stress and inflammation. • Potential application in mitigating carbonyl stress in food systems. Acrolein (ACR), a highly reactive α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound generated during thermal food processing and lipid peroxidation, contributes to carbonyl stress and oxidative protein modification. In this study, a reaction-guided UHPLC-DAD-HRMS/MS strategy was developed to screen natural ACR scavengers from Anoectochilus roxburghii ( A. roxburghii ). Eight major ACR-reactive compounds were identified, and narcissoside (NAR) was selected for further validation due to its relatively high abundance and confirmed ACR reactivity. NAR directly trapped ACR in vitro through mono-, di-, and tri-adduct formation, while in vivo fecal analysis suggested that its metabolite isorhamnetin (ISO) contributed to ACR trapping. NAR also attenuated protein modification in ACR–BSA, MGO–BSA, Glu–BSA, and Fru–BSA models. Furthermore, low-dose subacute ACR exposure showed that NAR and ISO improved serum carbonyl stress, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers. These findings identify NAR as a representative ACR-trapping constituent of A. roxburghii . Download: Download high-res image (232KB) Download: Download full-size image