Influence of the nitric oxide donor, sodium nitroprusside, on lipid peroxidation and anti-oxidant activity in pericarp tissue of longan fruit

The effects of nitric oxide (NO) on lipid peroxidation and anti-oxidant activity in longan fruit were investigated during storage. Fruits were dipped for 5 min in a solution containing 1 mM sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor. They were then packed into polyethylene bags and stored for 6 d at 28 degrees C. Changes in pericarp browning index, membrane permeability, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, the rate of superoxide production, the activities of lipoxygenase (LOX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT), alpha,alpha-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazy (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, and reducing power were measured. Treatment with SNP inhibited pericarp browning and suppressed increases in membrane permeability and lipid peroxidation. These effects were associated with lower LOX activity, higher APX and CAT activities, better maintenance of DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power, and lower superoxide production rate. However, SOD activity was higher in control (non-SNP-treated) fruit than in SNP-treated fruit over the first 4 d of storage. Overall, these findings suggest that treatment with NO enhanced the anti-oxidant activity in pericarp tissue of longan fruit during storage, and contributed to reduced lipid peroxidation. Reduced lipid damage apparently maintained the compartmentation of enzymes and substrates and, thereby, lessened enzymatic browning