Studies on the antioxidant effect of rutin in the microenvironment of cationic micelles

UV-vis spectra, fluorescence emission spectra, cyclic voltammetric and electron spin resonance are employed to study the location of rutin in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles with different microstructures and microenvironments, and to gain information about the antioxidant capacity (hydroxyl radical scavenge activity) of rutin in CTAB micelles. Rutin molecules can be partly solubilized in CTAB spherical micelles through electrostatic attraction and hydrophobic force, which leads to the bathochromic shift of absorption spectra, decrease of the microenvironment polarity of pyrene and the hydroxyl radical scavenge activity. However, CTAB rod-like micelles congregate rutin molecules on their surfaces, which results in the hypochromic shift of absorption spectra compared to the spectrum in CTAB spherical micelles and also heightens the antioxidant capacity of rutin.