Anticlastogenic potential and antioxidant effects of an aqueous extract of pulp from the pequi tree (Caryocar brasiliense Camb)

Abstract

The effectiveness of an aqueous extract of Caryocar brasiliense (Caryocaraceae) Camb pulp, popularly known in Brazil as pequi, against clastogenicity induced by cyclophosphamide and bleomycin was evaluated using an in vivo mouse bone marrow cell micronuclei test, an in vitro Chinese hamster ovary cell (CHO-K1) chromosome aberration test and an in vitro antioxidant assay based on the oxidative damage to 2-deoxy-D-ribose (2-DR) induced by hydroxyl radicals ( • OH) generated by the reaction between ascorbic acid and (Fe III)-EDTA. In mouse bone marrow cells the extract showed a protective effect against micronuclei induced by cyclophosphamide and bleomycin but did not interfere with polychromatic bone marrow erythrocyte proliferation, except when the mice had been treated with the highest dose of cyclophosphamide. When CHO-K1 cells were pretreated by adding 0.01, 0.05 or 0.1 mL of extract per mL of cell culture medium 24 or 48 h before bleomycin or cyclophosphamide there was a protective effect against chromosome breaks and a significant decrease in the mitotic index (a measure of cytotoxicity) of the CHO-K1 cells. The extract also had a protective effect against oxidative hydroxyl radical damage to 2-DR. This study suggests that C. brasiliense pulp aqueous extract has anticlastogenic potential, possibly due to its antioxidative properties.

Serum lipid profile and hepatic evaluation in mice fed diet containing pequi nut or pulp (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.)

“…High amounts of alimentary fiber and antioxidant compounds (phenolic acids and carotenoids) are present, mainly in the pulp (ALMEIDA et al, 1998;LIMA et al, 2007). These compounds give to the pequi antioxidant properties that have been shown in several studies (PAULA-JUNIOR et al, 2006;KHOURI et al, 2007;ROESLER et al, 2008).…”

Bioactive compounds and functional potential of pequi (<em>Caryocar</em> spp.), a native Brazilian fruit: a review

“…Khouri et al (2007) and Miranda-Vilela et al (2008) suggested that C. brasiliense pulp, as chloroform or aqueous extract, has anticlastogenic and antimutagenic potentials, being able to inhibit cyclophosphamide (CP)-and bleomycin (BLM)-induced DNA damage in mice. They also demonstrated antiproliferative activity when tested in vitro in hamster cells, possibly due to its antioxidative properties (Khouri et al, 2007).…”

Ação dos compostos antioxidantes na redução do estresse oxidativo em modelo experimental de câncer de pulmão: estudo do pequi (Caryocar brasilense camb)

“…The impact of the use of this fruit on practical routine has already been demonstrated with the commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs such as bleomycin and cyclophosphamide, a well-known agent, which can cause oxidative damage to DNA [11,38] . This effect can be minimized by Pequi oil, probably due to the high concentrations of antioxidants present in the fruit [11,12] , thus reinforcing the known power of antioxidants to detoxify the cytotoxic metabolites of chemotherapy drugs [39] .…”

“…This effect can be minimized by Pequi oil, probably due to the high concentrations of antioxidants present in the fruit [11,12] , thus reinforcing the known power of antioxidants to detoxify the cytotoxic metabolites of chemotherapy drugs [39] . In addition, some fruits such as Pequi are a really good source of flavonoids.…”

“…The use of urethane for the induction of this type of cancer is a simple and widely known experimental model of lung cancer [28][29][30][31][32][33] . The optimal dose of pequi oil and pequi extract used in this work was established by two conducting pilot studies and based in published data that worked with these compounds [10][11][12][13] . The dose of beta-carotene was calculated with the transforming formula developed by Reagan-Shaw et al [34] , using a dosage close to the nutritional recommendations by the National Agency for Sanitary Surveillance for provitamin A carotenoids.…”