Atividade antioxidante e anti-inflamatória de extrato de casca de Pitaya (Hylocereus sp) em enterócitos in vitro

Abstract

Popularly known as "dragon fruit", Pitaya, especially the species Hylocereus polyrhizus (Red Pitaya), has a remarkable amount of bioactive compounds, mainly phenolic metabolites present in the peel, which rouses the interest of the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry. These compounds have been studied in the remediation of inflammation and oxidative damage caused by the excess production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) present in chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus (DM). This work aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory profile of the aqueous extract of the peel of H. polyrhizus in intestinal CACO-2 cells under high glucose concentrations in vitro. It was possible to observe that the excess of glucose (35 mM) reduced cell viability by 18%, increasing the production of ROS and nitric oxide (NO) by approximately 20% and 25%, respectively, when compared to the control group. However, concentrations of 1 and 10 µg/mL of extract were effective in intestinal redox modulation, reducing the production of ROS and NO. Still, the lowest dose was the one that obtained the best response against the glucose-induced reduction in cell viability. The extract concentration that reduced by 50% the production of 2,2-diphenyl,1-picrylhydrazil free radical was 0.892 mg/mL, indicating a strong reducing potential. Furthermore, the extract presented 392.31 mg/100 g of total polyphenols and 26.27 mg/100 g of anthocyanins, which confirms that it is a good antioxidant source and an anti-inflammatory agent. These findings point to the efficacy of Pitaya peel extract against oxidative stress and inflammation caused by excess glucose in the intestinal microenvironment, showing promise for the treatment of DM, especially its long-term complications. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]