Isoflavanquinones from Abrus precatorius roots with their antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory effects.

Phytochemical studies on the root of Abrus precatorius Linn. (Fabaceae), leads towards the identification of four undescribed (abruquinones M, N, O, and P), and seven known abruquinones, (abruquinones A, E, B, F, I, D, and G). Spectroscopic analyses (1D, and 2D NMR, HRESI-MS) were used in elucidating structures of the all compounds. Evaluation of anticancer activities of the isolated isoflavanquinones revealed that abruquinones M, and N showed cytotoxicity against oral CAL-27 (IC50 values 6.48 and 5.26 µM, respectively), and colon (Caco-2) cell lines (IC50 values 15.79 and 10.33 µM, respectively). Abruquinone M also inhibited the growth of lung cancer cells (NCI-H460) with IC50 of 31.33 µM. The isolated isoflavanquiones also showed potent anti-inflammatory potential through phagocyte oxidative burst and pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α inhibition in vitro. These findings suggest isoflavanquinones from A. precatorius roots as candidates for further research in cancer treatment.

Antioxidant activity of the simulated gastro-intestinal digestion hydrolysate of two edible Nigerian marine molluscs: Tympanatonus fuscatus var radula (L.) and Pachymelania aurita (M.).

The multifunctional nature of antioxidant peptides makes them more attractive candidates as dietary ingredients in health maintenance. Therefore, food protein-derived antioxidant peptides are continuously investigated. This study investigated the in vitro antioxidant properties of hydrolysate and ultrafiltered peptide fractions of Pachymelania aurita and Tympanatonus fuscatus var radula-two commonly consumed marine molluscs known as periwinkles in southern Nigeria. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion (SGID) of soluble proteins of T. fuscatus and P. aurita was carried out using pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin, and the SGID hydrolysates were fractionated using a 3 kDa membrane filter. The hydrolysates and their fractions were investigated for anti-lipid peroxidation, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (HRSA), ferric reducing antioxidant property (FRAP) and metal chelation activity, and they demonstrated clear antioxidant properties in all the assay models used. Low molecular weight fractions of the hydrolysates demonstrated more potent antioxidant activity than higher molecular weight fractions. This is profound in the metal chelation assay, where low molecular weight peptide fractions, T ≤ 3 kDa and P ≤ 3 kDa (IC50 values of 8.10 ± 0.011 and 5.56 ± 0.50 µg/ml respectively) had activity that is similar to that of EDTA (11.84 ± 0.89 µg/ml). Similar activity effects were observed in other assays where there was about 3-fold higher activity in low molecular weight fractions. These results demonstrate the presence of antioxidant peptide(s) in the protein hydrolysates of the periwinkles.