Henrique Silvano Arruda

Araticum (Annona crassiflora Mart.), a native fruit from the Brazilian Cerrado, is known for its high content of phenolic compounds, particularly flavonoids. These biomolecules exhibit diverse biological activities, including potential anti-inflammatory effects. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the modulation of inflammatory targets by araticum pulp through an integrative approach combining in vitro assays and in silico analyses. UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS identified 75 compounds, predominantly flavonoids and phenolic acids. HPLC-DAD analysis evidenced high levels of flavonoids (mainly epicatechin and procyanidin B2), but low carotenoid content. Araticum pulp demonstrated a strong antioxidant capacity, particularly through the scavenging of hydroxyland peroxyl radicals, and exhibited consistent activity in ABTS^•+, DPPH, and FRAP assays. Moreover, araticum significantly inhibited NF-κB activation by 60.98% in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Molecular docking shows stable interactions of major flavonoids from araticum with inflammatory targets, especially IL1R/IL1β, JAK1, and JAK2. These results provide novel insights into the bioactive profile of araticum pulp, evidencing the fruit as a natural source of compounds with antioxidant activity and modulatory effects on inflammatory signaling and cytokine production.

Jatobá is a fruit-bearing plant whose pod husk accounts for approximately 70% of the fruit weight, becoming a residue after consumption or processing. Recent studies indicate that this byproduct is a promising source of phenolic compounds. However, extraction process variables, particularly solvent composition, can significantly impact recovery yields, although their effect remains poorly understood. In this context, a simplex-centroid mixture design was applied to optimize the solvent system to maximize the extraction of phenolic compounds and antioxidants from jatobá fruit husk. Different combinations of water, methanol, and acetone were evaluated using TPC, ABTS, and FRAP as response variables. Statistical analyses confirmed the significance of the models, with no lack of fit and high coefficients of determination. Multi-response optimization using the desirability function identified a nearly equivalent mixture of water and acetone (51.52%:48.48%, water/acetone) as the optimal condition, yielding predicted values of 41.51 mg GAE/g dw (TPC), 340.36 µmol TE/g dw (ABTS), and 485.74 µmol TE/g dw (FRAP), which did not differ statistically from the experimental values obtained in the validation assay (40.64 mg GAE/g dw for TPC, 334.31 µmol TE/g dw for ABTS, and 482.69 µmol TE/g dw for FRAP). HPLC-DAD analysis revealed that the fruit husk is predominantly composed of monomeric and dimeric procyanidins, especially epicatechin and procyanidin B2. Overall, these findings demonstrate the effectiveness of mixture design in optimizing extraction conditions and highlight jatobá fruit husk as a promising byproduct for the sustainable obtention of phenolic compounds and antioxidants with potential applications in products intended for human consumption after security validation.

Banana peel, an abundant by-product rich in bioactive compounds, presents high functional and technological potential. Despite its potential, the industrial use of banana peel is limited by enzymatic browning. Thus, this study proposed an integrated sequential extraction process using Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) solvents and simple methodologies. With this approach, it was possible to recover high-value compounds, including (all-E)-lutein (338.05 µg/g DW), pectin (3.81 g/100 g DW), and ferulic acid (212.48 µg/g DW). In addition to maximizing recovery of bioactive compounds, the process preserved the residual lignocellulosic fraction, namely cellulose (23.14 g/100 g DW), hemicellulose (19.91 g/100 g DW), and lignin (29.63 g/100 g DW), suitable for further bioprocesses such as bioethanol production. The strategy demonstrated technological and economic feasibility, reducing operational steps, eliminating the use of chemical agents, and promoting full biomass utilization. The results confirm the potential of banana peel as a platform for obtaining natural and sustainable ingredients, aligned with the principles of biorefinery and the circular bioeconomy.

In the present study, we characterized and investigated the effect of the araçá-boi extract on antioxidant activity, cell viability, and the regulation of genes related to tumor suppression and epigenetic mechanisms in ovarian cancer cells. The results showed that araçá-boi extract revealed a remarkable diversity of phytochemicals (organic acids, phenolic acids, and flavonoids), significant antioxidant potential, and efficient scavenging of reactive oxygen species, particularly hydroxyl and peroxyl radicals. Gallic acid, one of the phenolic acids present in the extract, was used alone to verify its contribution to cytotoxic activities. Exposure of human ovarian cancer cells (NCI/ADR-RES and OVCAR3) to the extract (0.15–150 μg/mL) and gallic acid (6–48 μg/mL) resulted in a significant reduction in cell viability, particularly after 48 h of treatment. Both treatments modulated genes involved in DNA repair, tumor suppression, and epigenetic regulation. However, no changes were observed in the methylation status of the BRCA1 gene promoter region with either araçá-boi extract or gallic acid. These findings reinforce the therapeutic potential of araçá-boi extract and its phenolic compounds against ovarian cancer and point to the need for further studies to better elucidate the molecular pathways involved and validate these effects in vivo.

The peel represents a significant portion of the araticum fruit (about 40%), which becomes waste after its consumption or processing. Previous studies have shown that the araticum peel is rich in phenolic compounds; however, little is known about the ideal conditions for recovering these compounds. Therefore, response surface methodology, using a central composite rotatable design, was employed to optimize the extraction process to maximize the total phenolic compounds (TPCs) and enhance the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) from araticum peel. The variables optimized were ethanol concentration (EC; 20–80%, v/v), extraction time (ET; 5–45 min), and solid–solvent ratio (SSR; 10–100 mg/mL). Additionally, condensed tannins, antioxidant capacity against synthetic free radicals (TEAC and FRAP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the phenolic compounds profile, were evaluated. Optimum extraction conditions were 50% (v/v) ethanol concentration, 5 min of extraction time, and 10 mg/mL solid–solvent ratio. Under these conditions, experimental TPCs and TEAC values were 70.16 mg GAE/g dw and 667.22 µmol TE/g dw, respectively, comparable with predicted models (68.47 mg GAE/g dw for TPCs and 677.04 µmol TE/g dw for TEAC). A high condensed tannins content (76.49 mg CE/g dw) was also observed and 12 phenolic compounds were identified, predominantly flavonoids (97.77%), including procyanidin B2, epicatechin, and catechin as the major compounds. Moreover, a potent antioxidant activity was observed against synthetic free radicals and ROS, especially in scavenging peroxyl and hydroxyl radicals. From this study, we obtained the ideal conditions for recovering phenolic compounds from araticum peel using a simple, fast, sustainable, and effective method, offering a promising opportunity for the management of this plant byproduct.

Cutaneous melanoma is an aggressive type of skin cancer that is recognized for its high metastatic potential and the challenges it presents in its treatment. There has been increasing interest in plant extracts and their potential applications in melanoma. The present study aimed to investigate the content of individual phenolic compounds in araçá-boi extract, evaluate their antioxidant activity, and explore their effects on cell viability, migration properties, oxidative stress levels, and protein expression in the human metastatic melanoma cell line SK-MEL-28. HPLC-DAD analysis identified 11 phenolic compounds in the araçá-boi extract. Trans-cinnamic acid was the main phenolic compound identified; therefore, it was used alone to verify its contribution to antitumor activities. SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells were treated for 24 h with different concentrations of araçá-boi extract and trans-cinnamic acid (200, 400, 600, 800, and 1600 µg/mL). Both the araçá-boi extract and trans-cinnamic acid reduced cell viability, cell migration, and oxidative stress in melanoma cells. Additionally, they modulate proteins involved in apoptosis and inflammation. These findings suggest the therapeutic potential of araçá-boi extract and its phenolic compounds in the context of melanoma, especially in strategies focused on preventing metastasis. Additional studies, such as the analysis of specific signaling pathways, would be valuable in confirming and expanding these observations.