Extract of Araçá-Boi and Its Major Phenolic Compound, Trans-Cinnamic Acid, Reduce Viability and Inhibit Migration of Human Metastatic Melanoma Cells.

Cutaneous melanoma is an aggressive type of skin cancer that is recognized for its high metastatic potential and the challenges it presents in its treatment. There has been increasing interest in plant extracts and their potential applications in melanoma. The present study aimed to investigate the content of individual phenolic compounds in araçá-boi extract, evaluate their antioxidant activity, and explore their effects on cell viability, migration properties, oxidative stress levels, and protein expression in the human metastatic melanoma cell line SK-MEL-28. HPLC-DAD analysis identified 11 phenolic compounds in the araçá-boi extract. Trans-cinnamic acid was the main phenolic compound identified; therefore, it was used alone to verify its contribution to antitumor activities. SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells were treated for 24 h with different concentrations of araçá-boi extract and trans-cinnamic acid (200, 400, 600, 800, and 1600 µg/mL). Both the araçá-boi extract and trans-cinnamic acid reduced cell viability, cell migration, and oxidative stress in melanoma cells. Additionally, they modulate proteins involved in apoptosis and inflammation. These findings suggest the therapeutic potential of araçá-boi extract and its phenolic compounds in the context of melanoma, especially in strategies focused on preventing metastasis. Additional studies, such as the analysis of specific signaling pathways, would be valuable in confirming and expanding these observations.

First report of Epicoccum nigrum causing leaf spots on Campomanesia guazumifolia (Camb.) Berg in Brazil.

Campomanesia guazumifolia is a native tree that produces fruit that can be consumed fresh or used by industry (Donadio et al., 2002). In February 2022, in the experimental area of the Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná - Brazil, disease was observed in 22 trees, with 50% to 80% severity in crown leaves. Symptoms were small, irregular, or circular-shaped, dark-brown lesions with yellow halos (Figure S1). As the disease progressed, the lesions increased in size, without distinction between mature and young tissues, causing complete leaf wilting. Twenty symptomatic leaves from 11 trees grown in the same orchard line were collected. For fungal isolation, the leaf surfaces were disinfected with 0.5% NaOCl solution for 1 min, rinsed in sterile distilled water, and dried on sterile filter paper. Five fragments of diseased leaf tissue were placed on a potato dextrose agar medium. The morphological characteristics of the colony, such as filamentous mycelium and golden yellow on the upper part, with the presence of circular to ovoid and multicellular conidia (mean 21.00 µm x 24.45 µm, n = 30) of the nine isolates, coincided with the description of the fungus of the genus Epicoccum (Valenzuela-Lopez et al., 2018). Further identification of one of these nine isolates was confirmed by amplifying and sequencing three loci (ITS, ß-tubulin, and RPB2) using the ITS1/ITS4, Bt2a/Bt2b, and 5F2/7cR primer pairs, respectively (White et al., 1990, Glass and Donaldson, 1995, O'Donnell et al., 2007). A single representative isolate (Cgen01) was analyzed and submitted to GenBank (OR020968, OR079879, and OR079878). The Bayesian Inference was used to reconstruct the phylogenetic trees (Figure S2), starting from random trees for 5,000,000 generations, using MrBayes v. 3.2.1 (Ronquist et al., 2012). The isolate clustered together with the isolate of Epicoccum nigrum (Chen et al., 2017) with a high posterior probability (0.98). For the pathogenicity tests, four young, healthy branches containing 20 leaves were spray-inoculated with 1.5 mL of conidia suspension of Cgen01 (106 conidia mL-1), covered with perforated transparent plastic bags, and moistened with distilled water in the orchard. The air temperature ranged from 14ºC to 25ºC. Sterile distilled water was used as a control. Three replicates (pathogen and control) on different trees were evaluated. After five days, the fungus was re-isolated from the symptomatic lesion, showing morphological characteristics similar to those of Cgen01. Control branches did not show fungal growth. The inoculation test was conducted twice and similar symptoms were observed. This is the first report of leaf spots caused by E. nigrum on C. guazumifolia in Brazil. E. nigrum, an endophytic fungus described as a mycoparasite, showed phytopathogenic behavior in this study, causing spots and loss of leaves in C. guazumifolia, drastically reducing the production of photoassimilates and affecting the quality of the fruits.

Dietary fiber chemical structures and physicochemical properties of edible Pouteria glomerata fruits, native from Brazilian Pantanal.

Pouteria glomerata is a native species from the Brazilian Pantanal, whose fruit is edible and still underexploited. The objective of this study was to carried out the chemical, nutritional and antioxidant properties of this tropical fruit, as well as to isolate e characterize the chemical strucutre of their dietary fibers. DPPH and ORAC methods were used to determine the antioxidant capacity. Minerals were quantified using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Soluble and insoluble dietary fiber fractions were obtained by the standard enzymatic-gravimetric method and chemically characterized by monosaccharide composition, gel permeation and NMR spectroscopy. Results showed that P. glomerata fruits presented high antioxidant capacity and high levels of vitamin C, minerals, insoluble dietary fiber, and malic acid. The soluble dietary fiber was mainly composed of uronic acids, arabinose, and galactose, and NMR analysis indicated the presence of highly methylesterified homogalacturonan, arabinan and/or arabinogalactan as pectic polysaccharides. Hemicelluloses present in insoluble dietary fiber fraction were solubilized by alkaline treatment, and characterized as (1 â†’ 4)-ß-D-xylan. The results brings new chemical information about this native fruit and may open new opportunities for using it as a potential ingredient for health improvement by human comsumption.

Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in vitro and in vivo of Butia and Opuntia fruits.

Despite the consumption recommendations and the potential health benefits, Brazilian biodiversity has a large number of fruit species that are still unexplored, such as Butia catarinensis (Butiá da Praia), Butia eriospatha (Butiá da Serra) and Opuntia elata (Arumbeva). The phenolic compounds of these fruits were determined by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS. Morever, in vitro assays of antioxidant capacity on hydroethanolic extracts against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl (OH), peroxyl (ROO) and ABTS radicals were evaluated. In vivo assays evaluating the survival of worms and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were performed using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Eighteen, twenty-eight and seventeen phenolic compounds were identified in Butiá da Praia, Butiá da Serra and Arumbeva, respectively. The main groups of phenolic compounds found in the fruits were hydroxybenzoic acids (60.5, 26.5 and 96.1% of the total phenolic compounds for Butiá da Praia, Butiá da Serra and Arumbeva, respectively), flavan-3-ols (23.6 and 61.2% of the total phenolic compounds for Butiá da Praia and Butiá da Serra) and flavonols (2.6% of the total phenolic compounds for Arumbeva). The hydroethanolic extracts of these fruits were free radical scavenger, sources of phenolic compounds and did not cause toxic effects in vivo. In hydroethanolic extracts of Butiá da Praia and Arumbeva, the total phenolic content increased by around 67% and 35%, respectively. Besides the health benefits, these proved to be promising sources of natural antioxidants, with phenolic composition variating among species and collection site. The obtained results enable future applications of studied fruits extracts in food and/or pharmaceutical products, encouraging and valuing the sustainable use of biodiversity.

Composition and potential health effects of dark-colored underutilized Brazilian fruits - A review.

Among the rich Brazilian biodiversity, a wide range of native and exotic fruit species are found. Many of these fruits have high nutritional and bioactive value, being important sources of minerals, phenolic compounds, vitamins, dietary fiber, among others. Also, the prevention of several diseases and disorders have being associated to the action of phytochemical compounds present in fruits with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative effects, for example. However, despite the potential of these fruits to be explored economically, many of them remain unknown to a large part of the population and food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetical industries, being produced and consumed only locally. Therefore, summarize information about potential Brazilian native fruits species is essential to stimulate their better use and reinforce the local economy promoting the cultivation and exploration of these fruits. In this context, this review summarizes and discusses the physicochemical characteristics, nutrients, phytochemical compounds, and biological properties of seven dark-colored underexploited Brazilian fruits species: Bactris setosa, Eugenia brasiliensis, Eugenia involucrata, Euterpe edulis, Myrcianthes pungens, Myrciaria cauliflora, and Myrciaria jaboticaba.

New insights into the phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of feijoa and cherry fruits cultivated in Brazil.

Acca sellowiana (feijoa) and Eugenia involucrata (cherry) are fruits species of Brazilian biodiversity (Myrtaceae family). In this study, a sampling process was used with three different harvesting sites. The composition of phenolic compounds of these fruits was determined by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS. Moreover, the antioxidant capacity of hydroethanolic extracts against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl (OH), peroxyl (ROO-) and ABTS radicals was evaluated. Thirty and twenty-seven phenolic compounds were identified in feijoa and cherry, respectively. The major phenolic compounds found were pedunculagin isomer (5040.87, 3443.66 and 1324.95 µg·g-1) in feijoa and procyanidin (1406.54, 1888.00 and 1380.64 µg·g-1) in cherry. Hydroethanolic extract of these fruits was a potent scavenger of free radicals and excellent source of phenolic compounds. In hydroethanolic extracts of feijoa, the phenolic content increased by around 50%, while in the cherry the content was similar to that found in the fruit. For ORAC method, sample 2 of feijoa and cherry showed values of 383 and 126 µM·TE·g-1, respectively, featuring the highest antioxidant capacity. This study is the first to report the identification of castalagin, catechin and epicatechin in feijoa, and rutin in cherry. Besides, the health benefits, these fruits can contribute to biodiversity conservation.

Bioactive compounds in fruits from different regions of Brazil / Compuestos bioactivos en frutas de diferentes regiones del Brasil

It is important to determine the chemical composition of fruits in order to establish their potential health benefits for human nutrition and thus stimulate their cultivation and consumption. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the physical and chemical parameters, vitamin C content, phenolic compounds, flavonoids and carotenoids, fatty acid profile and antioxidant activity of fruits from different regions of Brazil. We observed that the different regions and fruits studied presented very distinct characteristics. For example, the cupuaçu pit is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, while the genipap and java plum presented high flavonoid content and the butia had a high concentration of carotenoids. Guava was the fruit with the highest antioxidant activity through the ABTS radical, while the yellow mombim presented the best response when the activity was determined by FRAP.

Es importante determinar la composición química de las frutas para establecer sus potenciales beneficios para la salud humana y, por lo tanto, estimular su cultivo y consumo. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar parámetros físicos y químicos, el contenido de vitamina C, los compuestos fenólicos, los flavonoides y los carotenoides, el perfil de ácidos grasos y la actividad antioxidante de las frutas de diferentes regiones de Brasil. De los resultados obtenidos en este estudio se pudo observar que las diferentes regiones y frutas estudiadas presentaban características muy distintas, ya que la semilla de cupuaçu es rica en ácidos grasos insaturados, mientras que el genipapo y la ciruela java presentaron un alto contenido de flavonoides y el butia presentó alta concentración de carotenoides. La guayaba fue la fruta con la mayor actividad antioxidante determinada por el radical ABTS, mientras que el mombim amarillo presentó la mejor respuesta cuando la actividad fue determinada por FRAP

Camu-camu seed (Myrciaria dubia) - From side stream to anantioxidant, antihyperglycemic, antiproliferative, antimicrobial, antihemolytic, anti-inflammatory, and antihypertensive ingredient.

Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) seeds are discarded without recovering the bioactive compounds. The main aim of the present work was to optimise the solvent mixture to extract higher total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of camu-camu seeds. The optimised solvent system increased the extraction of phenolic compounds, in which vescalagin and castalagin were the main compounds. The optimised extract displayed antioxidant capacity measured by different chemical and biological assays, exerted antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects against A549 and HCT8 cancer cells, antimicrobial effects, protected human erythrocytes against hemolysis, inhibited α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes and presented in vitro antihypertensive effect. Additionally, the optimized extract inhibited human LDL copper-induced oxidation in vitro and reduced the TNF-α release and NF-κB activation in macrophages cell culture. Thus, the use of camu-camu seed showed to be a sustainable way to recover bioactive compounds with in vitro functional properties.

Brazilian Biodiversity Fruits: Discovering Bioactive Compounds from Underexplored Sources.

Large segments of the Brazilian population still suffer from malnutrition and diet-related illnesses. In contrast, many native fruits have biodiversity and are underexploited sources of bioactive compounds and unknown to consumers. The phytochemical composition of nine underexplored Brazilian fruits was determined. Carotenoids and anthocyanins were identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-MS/MS), and phenolic compounds and iridoids were identified by flow injection analysis-electrospray-ion trap-tandem mass spectrometry (FIA-ESI-IT-MS/MS); in total, 84 compounds were identified. In addition, the chemical structure and pathway mass fragmentation of new iridoids from jenipapo ( Genipa americana) and jatoba ( Hymenae coubaril) are proposed. The highest level of carotenoids was registered in pequi ( Caryocar brasiliense; 10156.21 µg/100 g edible fraction), while the major total phenolic content was found in cambuci ( Campomanesia coubaril; 221.70 mg GAE/100 g). Anthocyanins were quantified in jabuticaba ( Plinia cauliflora; 45.5 mg/100 g) and pitanga ( Eugenia uniflora; 81.0 mg/100 g). Our study illustrates the chemical biodiversity of underexplored fruits from Brazil, supporting the identification of new compounds and encouraging the study of more food matrixes not yet investigated.

Phenolic Compounds Determined by LC-MS/MS and In Vitro Antioxidant Capacity of Brazilian Fruits in Two Edible Ripening Stages.

The aim of this study was to investigate the free individual phenolics and the in vitro antioxidant capacity of blackberry, acerola, yellow guava, guabiju, jambolan and jabuticaba fruits in two edible stages. Of the thirty-three phenolics investigated by liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), twenty-five were quantified and the major ones were catechin, isoquercitrin, epicatechin and gallic acid. The highest values for the total phenolic content (in dry matter) were observed for acerola (83.6 to 97.7 mg gallic acid equivalents g-1 DM) and blackberry (18.9 to 28.3 mg gallic acid equivalents g-1 DM); however, acerola, jabuticaba, and blackberry showed the highest antioxidant capacities (134.6 to 1120.4 mg Trolox equivalents g-1 for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 43.6 to 501.8 µmol Trolox equivalents g-1 for ferric reducing antioxidant power). For most fruits, the antioxidant capacity decreased during the ripening, possibly due to a decrease in the concentration of most of the phenolics.

Fruits from the Brazilian Cerrado region: Physico-chemical characterization, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activities, and sensory evaluation.

Given the economic importance of fruit processing, this study aimed to analyze the chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and sensorial acceptance of six fruit pulps from the Brazilian Cerrado. For bioactive compounds of the selected fruits, buriti contains the highest carotenoid content (2.85 mg licopene/100 g e 4.65 mg ß-carotene/100g), however showed the lowest ascorbic acid concentration (7.42 mg/100g); while mangaba contains the highest ascorbic acid concentration (175.06 mg/100g), but obtained the lowest total phenolic compounds (46.85 mg GAEs/100g) and antioxidant capacity. The marolo reported the highest total phenolic compounds (728.17 mg GAEs/100g), total fiber (21.62%), and a high antioxidant potential. Regarding the mineral composition, marolo stood out as potassium (378.69 mg/100g) and magnesium (31.78 mg/100g) contents, and yellow mombin as phosphorus (26.24 mg/100g) content. Finally, juice prepared using cagaita and marolo had greater sensorial acceptance. The composition of fruit pulps indicated the potential there for the development of new food products.

Phytochemical, Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of Extracts of Seven Fruits Found in the Southern Brazilian Flora.

Methanol extracts of seven edible fruits found in southern Brazil: Garcinia achachairu, Rubus imperialis, Rubus rosaefolius, Solanum quitoense, Solanum sessiliflorun, Diospyros inconstans and Plinia glomerata, were evaluated for their total phenol content and antioxidant activity in different in vitro free radical scavenging models. In addition, studies were performed on cell viability of extracts of the seeds of G. achachairu against murine melanoma cells. The fruits peel and seeds of G. achachairu were very promising in terms of total phenol content (data in gallic acid equivalent per gram), as assessed by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, with values of 9.70±3.2 and 8.40±1.1, respectively. On the other hand, antioxidant activity using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging assay showed that the fruit pulp and peel of P. glomerata presented the best profile, with values of the 16.3±1.8 and 15.9±2.4 µg/ml, respectively. Regarding the cytotoxic effect of methanol extract and guttiferone A from G. achachairu, we have observed that both inhibit the growth of B16F10 tumor cells, with calculated IC50 values of 49.6±2.1 mg/ml and 48.6±5.4 mM, respectively.