Potential Anticancer Activity of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Fruits of Different Color: In Vitro and In Silico Evidence.

Pomegranate (PMG; Punica granatum L.) fruits possess a well-balanced nutrient/phytochemical composition, with proven adjuvant benefits in experimental cancer chemotherapy; however, such bioactivity could be affected by PMG's phenogenotype (varietal). Here, the chemical and phytochemical (UPLC-DAD-MS2) composition, antioxidant capacity and anticancer potential [in vitro (MTT assay) and in silico (foodinformatics)] of three PMG fruits of different aryl color [red (cv. Wonderful), pink (cv. Molar de Elche), and white (cv. Indian)] were evaluated. The macro/micronutrient (ascorbic acid, tocols, carotenoids), organic acid (citric/malic), and polyphenol content were changed by PMG's varietal and total antioxidant activity (ABTS, alcoholic > hexane extract) in the order of red > pink > white. However, their in vitro cytotoxicity was the same (IC50 > 200 µg.mL-1) against normal (retinal) and cancer (breast, lung, colorectal) cell lines. Sixteen major phytochemicals were tentatively identified, four of them with a high GI absorption/bioavailability score [Ellagic (pink), vanillic (red), gallic (white) acids, D-(+)-catechin (white)] and three of them with multiple molecular targets [Ellagic (52) > vanillic (32) > gallic (23)] associated with anticancer (at initiation and promotion stages) activity. The anticancer potential of the PMG fruit is phenogenotype-specific, although it could be more effective in nutraceutical formulations (concentrates).

Chemical constituents and antioxidant activity of extracts obtained from branch bark of Bursera simaruba / Constituyentes químicos y actividad antioxidante de extractos obtenidos de corteza de ramas de Bursera simaruba

The chemical constituents of the hexane and methanol extracts obtained from the branch bark of Bursera simaruba (Burseraceae) grown in Querétaro, Mexico, were investigated by GC-MS, HPLC coupled to DAD, and NMR techniques. Seventeen compounds, including terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, long-chain fatty acids (FA), methyl esters of FA and sucrose, were identified. In addition, an assessment of the antiradical activity of the methanol extract (ME) was also carried out using DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and DPV assays. The DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays showed a low antioxidant capacity for the ME. This was in accordance with the relatively low quantities of phenols found in the extract. However, according to the differential pulse voltammetry assay (DVP), this extract exhibited an oxidation potential close to those of quercetin and (+)-catechin, two of the flavonoids with recognized good antioxidant power. This indicated that the ME does contain compounds with good antioxidant capacity and suggested that sometimes the most popular methods commonly used might be underestimating the true antioxidant capacities of plant samples and how the DPV is a valuable complementary tool to be taken into consideration when conducting these in vitro assays...

Los constituyentes químicos de los extractos hexánicos y metanólicos de la corteza de ramas de Bursera simaruba (Burseraceae) recolectada en Querétaro, México, fueron investigados mediante las Cromatografías de Gases acoplada a Espectrometría de masas (GC-MS) y de líquidos de alta resolución (HPLC) acoplada a un detector de arreglo de diodos (DAD) (HPLC-DAD) y mediante RMN. Diecisiete compuestos, incluyendo terpenos, flavonoides, ácidos fenólicos, ácidos grasos de cadena larga (AG), ésteres metílicos de AG y la sacarosa fueron identificados. De manera adicional, se determinó la actividad antioxidante del extracto metanólico utilizando los ensayos de DPPH, ABTS, FRAP y DPV (Voltametría de Pulso Diferencial). Los métodos de DPPH, ABTS y FRAP indicaron una baja capacidad antioxidante para este extracto. Esta observación estuvo de acuerdo con las bajas cantidades de fenólicos encontrados en este extracto. Sin embargo, mediante el método DPV, el extracto tuvo un potencial de oxidación cercano a los de la quercetina y la (+)-catequina, dos de los flavonoides con reconocida buna capacidad antioxidante. Estos resultados indican que el extracto sí contiene metabolitos secundarios con buena capacidad antioxidante y sugieren además que los métodos más comunes pueden subestimar la verdadera capacidad antioxidante de extractos de plantas y resalta la importancia del método DPV como complementario a tener en cuenta en estos tipos de estudios in vitro...