Synergistic Action of Stilbenes in Muscadine Grape Berry Extract Shows Better Cytotoxic Potential Against Cancer Cells Than Resveratrol Alone

Abstract

Muscadine grape is rich in stilbenes, which include resveratrol, piceid, viniferin, pterostilbene, etc. Resveratrol has been extensively studied for its biological activities; however, the synergistic effect of stilbene compounds in berry extracts is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-cancer activity of stilbene-rich muscadine berry extract and pure resveratrol. Stilbenes were extracted from ripened berries of muscadine grape cultivars, Pineapple, and Southern Home. HPLC analysis was performed to determine quantity of stilbenes. The extracts were tested for their cytotoxic activity against A549 (lung carcinoma cells), triple negative breast cancer (HCC-1806) and HepG2 (human liver cancer) cells. The stilbene-rich extracts of the muscadine berry extracts showed cytotoxic activity against all of the cells tested. The extracts at 1 μg/mL induced death in 50–80% of cells by 72 h of treatment. About 50 μg/mL of resveratrol was required to induce a similar response in the cells. Further, modulation of genes involved in tumor progression and suppression was significantly (p < 0.0005) higher with the HepG2 cells treated with stilbene-rich berry extracts than the pure resveratrol. This shows that the synergistic activity of stilbenes present in muscadine grape berries have more potent anti-cancer activity than the resveratrol alone.

Molecular Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of MADS-Box Gene VroAGL11 Associated with Stenospermocarpic Seedlessness in Muscadine Grapes

“…Mean berry weight of muscadine grapes varied from 2.5 to 15.9 g depending on cultivar with the maximum weight of 15.9 g in Black Beauty and minimum weight (2.5 g) in Fry Seedless followed by muscadine cultivar Welder (3.3 g) (Table 1). However, the mean berry weight of bunch/hybrid bunch grapes were less compared to muscadine grapes ranging from 1.6 to 2.0 g. The mean number of seeds in muscadine grape berries ranged between 2.3 and 4.9 per berry with the highest number of seeds in Janet ( 5) and the lowest in Scuppernong (2). In bunch or hybrid bunch grapes, however, the mean seed number varied from 1.3 to 3.6 per berry.…”

“…The native muscadine grapes ( Vitis rotundifolia ) are grown in the Southeastern USA mainly for fresh fruit and wine production, generating USD 1.6 billion total taxes in 2017 alone in Florida [ 1 ]. They have long been cherished for their distinct fruity flavor and a number of health benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-aging potentiality [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Despite having high nutraceutical value and numerous health benefits, muscadine grapes are not preferred as table grape over European bunch grape due to presence of large seeds.…”

Potential Associations among Bioactive Molecules, Antioxidant Activity and Resveratrol Production in Vitis vinifera Fruits of North America

“…Stilbene resveratrol, a naturally occurring phytochemical in grapes, is a potent antioxidant and may play a role in protecting against cardiovascular diseases [1]. In addition, studies have shown that whole grape berry extract might be more efficient in exerting the health benefits such as showing cytotoxic activity against lung carcinoma cells, breast cancer and human liver cancer cells than a pure phytochemical compound [11].…”

Transcriptional profiling of two muscadine grape cultivars “Carlos” and “Noble” to reveal new genes, gene regulatory networks, and pathways that involved in grape berry ripening

“…Muscadine grapes are a good source of dietary fiber, polyphenols, and antioxidants, including anthocyanins, gallic acid, ellagic acid, catechin, epicatechin, quercetin, kaempferol, and resveratrol ( Huang et al, 2009 ). These phytochemicals offer high antioxidant capacity and health benefits such as anti-inflammatory ( Bralley et al, 2007 ), anti-oxidation, anti-microbial ( Xu et al, 2014 ), anti-cancer ( Balasubramani et al, 2019 ), and anti-cardiovascular disease ( Pastrana-Bonilla et al, 2003 ) activities. Due to their health benefits, demand for muscadine wines has increased recently.…”