Intending to highlight new fruits with nutraceutical potential, the present work reports the nutritional and antioxidant content of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels (S. cumini) and Syzygium malaccense (L.) Merr. & LM Perry (S. malaccense), and evaluates the anticancer potential against CP-H460 (lung carcinoma line) and its functionality over HEK-293 (healthy embryonic kidney line), two human cells. For this, the physical-chemical characterization of the lyophilized fruits was carried out, and the content of total phenolic compounds (Folin-Ciocalteau) and the antioxidant potential (DPPH, FRAP, and ORAC) was determined. For anticancer activity, aqueous extracts were prepared and evaluated using the MTT (3-[4,5-dimethyl-triazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium) assay for periods of 20 hours. These two species are rich in dietary fibers, mainly insoluble fibers, and are sources of natural compounds and antioxidants, which possibly explain the protective potential against cancer cells. Thus, it is expected, as two source fruits, results obtained (p <0.01), mainly S. cumini in contact with CP-H460, which reduces the growth of a cell with lung carcinoma. This finding revealed that these fruits have antiproliferative activity against a lung carcinoma cell, where the highest concentration tested (2 mg/mL) was able to inhibit almost 80% of cell proliferation. Besides, when S. cumini was evaluated in HEK-293, all concentrations evaluated showed cell viability superior to the positive control (p <0.01). In conclusion, both S. cumini and S. malaccense can be used as nutraceuticals in complementary therapies given their nutritional properties.

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Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal (maná-cubiu) é um fruto da biodiversidade brasileira cultivado na Mata Atlântica do litoral paranaense, cujo suco é utilizado pela medicina tradicional para redução glicêmica. Embora os estudos com frutos tropicais sejam incentivados para caracterização de compostos bioativos, até o momento não foram encontrados relatos acerca do potencial antioxidante desta etnovariedade cultivada no bioma da Mata Atlântica. Esse trabalho teve como objetivo determinar o teor de compostos fenólicos biodisponíveis e a atividade antioxidante nas partes comestíveis: polpa com sementes (P) e casca (C). Extratos metanólicos do maná-cubiu foram utilizados para determinar o teor fenólico total (TFT), atividade antioxidante pelos métodos de 2,2-difenil-1-picryl-hidrazil (DPPH) com inibição de EC50, redução de ferro (FRAP) e captura radical livre de 2,2'-azinobis (3-etilbenzothiazolina-6sulfônica) (ABTS). A casca do fruto apresentou maior TFT (p = 0,0001). Entretanto, a capacidade antioxidante das frações avaliadas foi similar pelos métodos DPPH (p = 0,0001) e FRAP (p = 0,0662). A capacidade antioxidante do fruto se apresentou elevada, sendo necessário uma pequena concentração (19,84 g/ L), para redução de 50% do radical DPPH (IC50). O destaque da fração C no elevado conteúdo de fenólicos e na capacidade antioxidante detectada por ABTS comprovam a importância do consumo do fruto com casca, com ingestão de sua porção comestível integral. Além desse achado, os resultados obtidos apontam para um potencial promissor de utilização do maná-cubiu na prevenção ou remoção de danos oxidativos, justificando parcialmente seu uso tradicional no controle glicêmico.

Obesity is a multifactorial disease, defined by the excessive accumulation of body fat, causing negative consequences for health. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is characterized by the association between abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Experimental models are essential to elucidate the pathophysiology, development, and treatment of the disease. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of man&aacute;-cubiu extract (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) in experimental models of diet-induced MS. Male Wistar rats received a high-fat, high-calorie diet for 24 weeks, with exception of the healthy control group, which received commercial AIN-93 chow, and both groups were supplied with filtered water. After this period, the animals began to receive daily gavages containing 150 mg of extract/kg or 300 mg of extract/kg for another 8 weeks. The control group received only metformin (150mg/kg). Body weight, bioelectrical impedance (BIA), body circumferences and the Lee index were used to assess body composition. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee under protocol n&ordm; 501. The experimental group treated with 150mg/kg of the extract showed weight reduction in the first month of treatment, followed by an average reduction of 54 grams per animal. The group treated with 300mg/kg of the extract suffered weight reduction only after the second month of treatment (on average 9g/animal). This same group and the group treated with metformin were the only ones to reduce the percentage of body fat, comparing the two evaluation moments. The results suggest that man&aacute;-cubiu has a potential therapeutic use in obesity, and that the evaluation methods in animal models need to be better standardized.