Identification of bioactive compounds from Pitanga do Cerrado (Eugenia calycina Cambess) and study of its biological activities

Abstract

The present project aiming to cover the phenolic composition and the potential biological properties of pitanga (Eugenia calycina Cambess) berry from Cerrado, an unknown and underexplored Brazilian fruit. Firstly, we will study the extraction of phenolic compounds from different parts (pulp, leaves and seeds) of pitanga using emergent extraction technologies, namely Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE), Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction (UAE), and the combinations thereof (UAE + PLE). The composition and concentration of phenolic compounds (flavonoids and phenolic acids) from pitanga extracts will be evaluated using UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. The capacity of secondary metabolites, mainly phenolic compounds, of scavenging free radicals, reducing oxidative stress, and preventing biomolecules oxidation have been strongly associated with the reduce of the risk of diabetic and cancer, and as wound healing compounds. In this approach, the antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiproliferative and wound healing activities will be investigated. The antioxidant activity will be evaluated using hydrogen atom transfer mechanisms, such as ORAC assay (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). The pitanga extracts will be used as inhibitors of digestive enzymes, such as ±-amylase and ±-glycosidase, to verify their potential antidiabetic activity. Finally, the antiproliferative effect of pitanga extracts will be investigated on ten human tumor cell lines, namely glioma (U251), breast (MCF-7), multidrug resistant ovary carcinoma (NCI-ADR/RES), kidney (786-0), non-small cell lung cancer (NCI-H460), prostate (PC-3), colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29), leukemia (K562), melanoma (UACC-62), and ovarian (OVCAR-3), and the scratch assay will be used to evaluate the wound healing properties of pitanga. (AU)