Inhibitory effects and mechanisms of phenolic compounds in rapeseed oil on advanced glycation end product formation in chemical and cellular models in vitro

•SA/CAO/CAO dimer in rapeseed oil showed substantial antiglycation capabilities.•SA/CAO/CAO dimer inhibited the glycation of fructose and BSA protein.•SA/CAO/CAO dimer and BSA involved hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interaction and hydrophobic interactions.•SA/CAO/CAO dimer trapped MGO to inhibit the glycation reaction.•CAO/CAO dimer could mitigate MGO-induced cell damage by regulating the Nrf2-HO-1 pathway and oxylipins. Sinapic acid (SA), canolol (CAO) and canolol dimer (CAO dimer) are the main phenolic compounds in rapeseed oil. However, their possible efficacy against glycation remains unclear. This study aims to explore the impacts of these substances on the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) based on chemical and cellular models in vitro. Based on fluorescence spectroscopy results, three chemical models of BSA-fructose, BSA-methylglyoxal (MGO), and arginine (Arg)-MGO showed that SA/CAO/CAO dimer could effectively reduce AGE formation but with different abilities. After SA/CAO/CAO dimer incubation, effective protection against BSA protein glycation was observed and three different MGO adducts were formed. In MGO-induced HUVEC cell models, only CAO and CAO dimer significantly inhibited oxidative stress and cell apoptosis, accompanied by the regulation of the Nrf2-HO-1 pathway. During the inhibition, 20 and 12 lipid mediators were reversed in the CAO and CAO dimer groups compared to the MGO group.