Polyphenolic QTOF-ESI MS Characterization and the Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Prunus domestica Commercial Cultivars from Costa Rica

Abstract

There is an increased interest in plum research because of their metabolites’ potential bioactivities. In this study, the phenolic profiles of Prunus domestica commercial cultivars (Methley, Pisardii and Satsuma) in Costa Rica were determined by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with High Resolution Mass Spectrometry using a quadrupole-time-of-flight analyzer (UPLC-ESI-QTOF MS) on enriched phenolic extracts obtained through Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) under acidic and neutral extraction conditions. In total, 41 different phenolic compounds were identified in the skin and flesh extracts, comprising 11 flavan-3-ols, 14 flavonoids and 16 hydroxycinnamic acids and derivatives. Neutral extractions for the skins and flesh from all of the cultivars yielded a larger number of compounds, and were particularly rich in the number of procyanidin trimers and tetramers when compared to the acid extractions. The total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant potential using the DPPH and ORAC methods exhibited better results for neutral extracts with Satsuma skins and Methley flesh, which showed the best values (685.0 and 801.6 mg GAE/g extract; IC50 = 4.85 and 4.39 µg/mL; and 12.55 and 12.22 mmol TE/g extract, respectively). A Two-Way ANOVA for cytotoxicity towards AGS gastric adenocarcinoma and SW620 colon adenocarcinoma indicated a significant difference (p < 0.05) for PLE conditions, with better results for neutral extractions, with Satsuma skin delivering the best results (IC50 = 60.7 and 46.7 µg/mL respectively) along with Methley flesh (IC50 = 76.3 and 60.9 µg/mL, respectively). In addition, a significant positive correlation was found between TPC and ORAC (r = 0.929, p < 0.05), as well as a significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) between TPC and cytotoxicity towards AGS and SW620 cell lines (r = −0.776, and −0.751, respectively). A particularly high, significant, negative correlation (p < 0.05) was found between the number of procyanidins and cytotoxicity against the AGS (r = −0.868) and SW620 (r = −0.855) cell lines. Finally, the PCA clearly corroborated that neutral extracts are a more homogenous group exhibiting higher antioxidant and cytotoxic results regardless of the part or cultivar; therefore, our findings suggest that PLE extracts under neutral conditions would be of interest for further studies on their potential health benefits.

HRMS Characterization, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Polyphenols in Malus domestica Cultivars from Costa Rica

“…In sum, as within recent studies on other fruits [ 50 ], the profiling of polyphenols reveals high diversity in Costa Rican cultivars, which is in agreement with evidence showing that apples’ secondary metabolites profile is greatly influenced by location [ 44 , 51 ] as well as with findings from studies on other species indicating that tropical forests have a greater diversity of secondary metabolites [ 52 ]. Thus, the present work can be of interest for further research and future studies should take into consideration the parameters from the cultivars themselves, such as origin, location, soil composition and their relationship with chemical metabolites and bioactivities.…”

Bioactive potential of tropical highland apple (Malus domestica cv. Anna) crude extract: opportunities for food waste revalorization

“…The identity of all fruits collected was authenticated by Botanist M.Sc. Elizabeth Arnáez-Serrano, Biology Department, Costa Rica Institute of Technology and were previously confirmed with the support of the Costa Rican National Herbarium [19].…”

“…In this study, food-grade tropical highland whole apple (Malus domestica var. Anna) crude extract (AE) obtained by ethanol extraction showed slightly higher total polyphenol content (767.40 ± 65.83 mg GAE g −1 ) than previous studies using apples from the same source (up to 619.6 ± 19.5 mg GAE g −1 , methanol-based extraction) [18,19]. The discrepancy is probably due to different extraction and analytical techniques, and natural fruit variation caused by seasonal cultivation, ripeness, and storage conditions.…”

“…One of the most prominent apple varieties cultivated in tropical high-altitude settings is M. domestica cultivar Anna (Golden Delicious x Red Hadassiya), a low chilling requiring variety created in Israel in 1963 [14,17]. Anna apples cultivated in Costa Rica highlands have shown higher and more diverse total polyphenol content in peel extract than other cultivars from temperate regions, as well as cytotoxic effects against gastric (AGS) and colon (SW-620) human carcinoma cells [18,19].…”

Design of Hybrid Polymeric-Lipid Nanoparticles Using Curcumin as a Model: Preparation, Characterization, and In Vitro Evaluation of Demethoxycurcumin and Bisdemethoxycurcumin-Loaded Nanoparticles

“…This last medium was also used for curcuminoid nanoparticles samples. In addition, Trolox was used as a standard [ 39 ] to assess the DPPH method applied. Briefly, a solution of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhidrazyl (DPPH, 0.25 mM) was prepared using EtOH as a solvent.…”