Search Results (8)

Phenolic compounds have antiglycation activity, but the changes occurring during thermal treatment (TT) in these activities are not completely understood. The effects of the extraction conditions of (poly)phenols from Ribes magellanicum fruits, before and after TT, on their antioxidant and antiglycation effects were assessed. (Poly)phenol-enriched extracts (PEEs) from raw and TT (90 °C, 1 h) Ribes magellanicum were extracted using three solvent mixtures (ethanol/water/acetic acid) with increasing water content (0, 24, and 49%) and three solvent-to-solid ratios (5, 10, and 20 mL/g). PEEs of raw samples showed increased values of total (poly)phenols (TPC), TEAC, and FRAP and decreased IC₅₀ values of fluorescent advanced glycation end products (AGEs) with increasing water content. An increase in TPC and FRAP values was observed for TT samples, but an increase in the IC₅₀ values of fluorescent AGEs for PEEs with increasing water content was observed. Antiglycation activity (IC₅₀ raw/IC₅₀ TT) depended on the solvent-to-solid ratio and the extracting solvent. HPLC-DAD-MS analysis of raw and TT samples showed degradation of anthocyanins, flavonoid fragmentation, and oxidation as the main changes in the phenolic composition of TT samples. We show that TT affects the (poly)phenolic composition of R. magellanicum, producing a decrease in the antiglycation activity when extractions are performed with increasing water content, despite increasing TPC and FRAP activity. Full article

Ugni candollei, commonly known as white murta, is a native Chilean berry with a polyphenol composition that has been underexplored. This study aimed to establish a comprehensive profile of white murta polyphenols using ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-ORBITRAP MS). Additionally, it compared the efficacy of conventional extraction methods with emerging techniques such as deep eutectic solvent (DES) extraction and hot pressurized water extraction (HPWE). The analysis tentatively identified 107 phenolic compounds (84 of them reported for the first time for this cultivar), including 25 phenolic acids, 37 anthocyanins, and 45 flavonoids. Among the prominent and previously unreported polyphenols are ellagic acid acetyl-xyloside, 3-p-coumaroylquinic acid, cyanidin 3-O-(6′-caffeoyl-glucoside, and phloretin 2′-O-xylosyl-glucoside. The study found HPWE to be a promising alternative to traditional extraction of hydroxybenzoic acids, while DES extraction was less effective across all categories. The findings reveal that white murta possesses diverse phenolic compounds, potentially linked to various biological activities. Full article

Azara dentata Ruiz & Pav. is a small Chilean native plant from Patagonia, a producer of small white reddish berries. For the first time, the proximal analysis of the fruits, phenolic fingerprinting, the antioxidant activity, and the enzymatic inhibition and relaxation effects in rat aorta induced by the ethanolic extract of these fruits were investigated. The proximal composition and the mineral (Ca: 2434 ± 40 mg/kg; Mg: 702 ± 13 mg/kg; Fe: 117.1 ± 1.6 mg/kg; Zn: 16.1 ± 0.4 mg/kg) and heavy metal (As: 121 ± 11 µg/kg; Cd: 152 ± 5 µg/kg; Hg: 7.7 ± 1.3 µg/kg; Pb 294 ± 4 µg/kg) contents were analyzed. Anthocyanins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and coumarins were identified using UHPLC-PDA-QTOF-MS. The ethanolic extracts showed a total phenolic content of 23.50 ± 0.93 mg GAE/g extract. In addition, the antioxidant activity was assessed using both DPPH and TEAC (28.64 ± 1.87 and 34.72 ± 2.33 mg Trolox/g of dry fruit, respectively), FRAP (25.32 ± 0.23 mg Trolox equivalent/g dry fruit), and ORAC (64.95 ± 1.23 mg Trolox equivalents/g dry fruit). The inhibition of enzymatic activities (acetylcholinesterase IC₅₀: 2.87 + 0.23 µg extract/mL, butyrylcholinesterase IC₅₀: 6.73 + 0.07 µg extract/mL, amylase IC₅₀: 5.6 ± 0.0 µg extract/mL, lipase IC₅₀: 30.8 ± 0.0 µg extract/mL, and tyrosinase IC₅₀: 9.25 ± 0.15 µg extract/mL) was also assessed. The extract showed 50–60% relaxation in rat aorta (intact), mediated thorough the release of endothelial nitric oxide. Our results suggest that A. dentata is a good source of compounds with the capacity to inhibit important enzymes, can be hypotensive, and can thus have good potentiality as supplements in the amelioration of neurodegenerative diseases and could also have potential to be used to develop new functional foods. The study highlights the benefits of these neglected small fruits and could boost their consumption. Full article

Gaultheria pumila (Ericaceae) (known as Chaura or Mutilla) is a Chilean native small shrub that produces berry fruits consumed by local Mapuche people. In this study, the chemical fingerprinting and antioxidant, enzyme inhibition, and antiproliferative activities of the berries were investigated for the first time. Thirty-six metabolites were identified in the fruits by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection, hyphenated with Orbitrap mass spectrometry analysis (UHPLC-DAD-Orbitrap-MS). Metabolites, included anthocyanins, phenolic acids, flavonoids, iridoids, diterpenes, and fatty acids. Moderate inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase (7.7 ± 0.3 µg/mL), butyrylcholinesterase (34.5 ± 0.5 µg/mL), and tyrosinase (3.3 ± 0.2 µg/mL) enzymes were found. Moreover, selected major compounds were subjected to docking assays in light of their experimental inhibition. Results indicated that hydrogen bonding, π–π interaction, and a salt bridge interaction contributed significantly. Gaultheria pumila berries showed a total phenolic content of 189.2 ± 0.2 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g, total flavonoid content of 51.8 ± 0.1 mg quercetin equivalents/g, and total anthocyanin content of 47.3 ± 0.2 mg of cianydin-3-glucoside equivalents/g. Antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH (92.8 ± 0.1 µg/mL), FRAP (134.1 ± 0.1 μmol Trolox equivalents/g), and ORAC (4251.6 ± 16.9 μmol Trolox equivalents/g) assays. Conversely, Gaultheria pumila showed a scarce antiproliferative potential against several solid human cancer cells. Our findings suggest that Gaultheria pumila berries have several bioactive metabolites with inhibitory effects against acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and tyrosinase, and have the potential for use in food supplements. Full article

The best conservation method for native Chilean berries has been investigated in combination with an implemented large-scale extract of maqui berry, rich in total polyphenols and anthocyanin to be tested in intestinal epithelial and immune cells. The methanolic extract was obtained from lyophilized and analyzed maqui berries using Folin–Ciocalteu to quantify the total polyphenol content, as well as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) to measure the antioxidant capacity. Determination of maqui’s anthocyanins profile was performed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC-MS/MS). Viability, cytotoxicity, and percent oxidation in epithelial colon cells (HT-29) and macrophages cells (RAW 264.7) were evaluated. In conclusion, preservation studies confirmed that the maqui properties and composition in fresh or frozen conditions are preserved and a more efficient and convenient extraction methodology was achieved. In vitro studies of epithelial cells have shown that this extract has a powerful antioxidant strength exhibiting a dose-dependent behavior. When lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-macrophages were activated, noncytotoxic effects were observed, and a relationship between oxidative stress and inflammation response was demonstrated. The maqui extract along with 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) have a synergistic effect. All of the compiled data pointed out to the use of this extract as a potential nutraceutical agent with physiological benefits for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Full article

Numerous dietary polyphenols possess antiglicating activity, but the effects of thermal treatment on this activity are mostly unknown. The effect of thermal treatment in the antiglycating activity of polyphenolic enriched extracts (PEEs) from Ribes cucullatum towards glyoxal-induced glycation of sarcoplasmic proteins was assessed. Sarcoplasmic proteins from chicken, beef, salmon, and turkey, were incubated 2 h at 60 °C with and without glyoxal and different concentrations of PEEs (0.25, 0.5, 1, and 5 mg/mL). The antiglycating activity was evaluated by: (1) Lys and Arg consumption, (2) Carboxymethyl lysine (CML) generation, and (3) lipid-derived electrophiles inhibition in a gastric digestion model. Protective effects were observed against CML generation in proteins and a decrease of electrophiles in the gastric digestion model. A dose-dependent consumption of Lys and Arg in proteins/PEEs samples, indicated the possible occurrence of quinoproteins generation from the phenolics. Protein/PEEs incubations were assessed by: (1) High pressure liquid chromatography analysis, (2) Gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and (3) Redox cycling staining of quinoproteins. Protein/PEEs incubations produced: (1) Decrease in phenolics, (2) increase of protein crosslinking, and (3) dose-dependent generation of quinoproteins. We demonstrate that phenolic compounds from R. cucullatum under thermal treatment act as antiglycating agents, but oxidative reactions occurs at high concentrations, generating protein crosslinking and quinoproteins. Full article

Calafate (Berberis microphylla G. Forst) is a wild bush plant widely distributed in the south of Argentina and Chile. Their blue colored fruits present particular flavor and health benefits attributed to high polyphenol contents biosynthesized by the plant under stress. Studies about correlation of abiotic conditions with anthocyanin profiles and physicochemical features of calafate beneath wild origin environment are not described yet. Hence, this research aimed to evaluate the physicochemical changes, antioxidant activity and anthocyanin content of calafate fruit in relationship to UV solar radiation (W.m⁻²) and air temperature (°C) environment condition during three consecutive years (2017, 2018, 2019). Variations in fruit anthocyanins were determined by comparison between high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD-ESI)/MSn and CIEL*a*b* colors parameters. Correlations were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). Radiation was negatively correlated with fruit size and weight. Physicochemical aspects such as pH, soluble solids, color, total anthocyanins, flavanols and other phenolic compounds were positively correlated with temperature changes. The quantities of monomeric anthocyanins were dependent on both low temperature and global radiation (reaching 20.01 mg g⁻¹ FW in calafate fruit). These results constitute a valuable resource to understand the structural and physiological plasticity of calafate in facing climate changes for future domestication research as well as for agri-food industrial application. Full article

Here, we report the genome sequence and evidence for transcriptional activity of a virus-like element in the native Chilean berry tree Aristotelia chilensis. We propose to name the endogenous sequence as Aristotelia chilensis Virus 1 (AcV1). High-throughput sequencing of the genome of this tree uncovered an endogenous viral element, with a size of 7122 bp, corresponding to the complete genome of AcV1. Its sequence contains three open reading frames (ORFs): ORFs 1 and 2 shares 66%–73% amino acid similarity with members of the Caulimoviridae virus family, especially the Petunia vein clearing virus (PVCV), Petuvirus genus. ORF1 encodes a movement protein (MP); ORF2 a Reverse Transcriptase (RT) and a Ribonuclease H (RNase H) domain; and ORF3 showed no amino acid sequence similarity with any other known virus proteins. Analogous to other known endogenous pararetrovirus sequences (EPRVs), AcV1 is integrated in the genome of Maqui Berry and showed low viral transcriptional activity, which was detected by deep sequencing technology (DNA and RNA-seq). Phylogenetic analysis of AcV1 and other pararetroviruses revealed a closer resemblance with Petuvirus. Overall, our data suggests that AcV1 could be a new member of Caulimoviridae family, genus Petuvirus, and the first evidence of this kind of virus in a fruit plant. Full article