LC-MS/MS analysis and biological activities of fruits of Genipa americana, Eugenia pyriformis and Araucaria angustifolia from Brazil

Tropical fruits represent a valuable source of bioactive compounds, and their consumption is increasing on national and international markets due to the growing recognition of their nutritional and therapeutic value [1]. Brazil is one of the largest fruit producers in the world, however, in most cases, the potential of these fruits remains unknown or poorly studied. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the chromatographic profile of Genipa americana (jenipapo), Eugenia pyriformis (uvaia), and Araucaria angustifolia (pinhao) by LC-MS/MS, and to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of these Brazilian fruits extracts by ABTS method [2]. The peels, pulp and seed were analyzed separately after partition with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol. The methanolic extract of A. angustifolia peels displayed the highest antioxidant activity, resulting in EC₅₀ 54.07 µg mL^-1 after 60 min of incubation, followed by ethyl acetate extract of Eugenia pyriformis (EC₅₀= 80.18 µg mL^-1). The other extracts were considered inactive (EC₅₀ > 100.0 µg mL^-1). The chromatographic profile and mass spectra of the A. angustifolia extracts obtained by LC-MS/MS showed the presence of 10 phenolic compounds that were identified based on the fragmentation pattern reported in the literature [3]: (epi)gallocatechin, prodelfinidine B3, proanthocyanidin dimer, (epi)catechin, quercetin-3-o-glucoside, eriodicitiol-o-hexoside, GB-2, myricetin, quercetin and amentoflavone, which may be responsible for the antioxidant effect. Studies like these may lead to the development of functional foods with valuable health benefits, as well as the development of technological applications in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic areas.

• References

• 1 Stafussa AP, Maciel GM, Rampazzo V, Bona E, Makara CN, Demczuk B. et al. Bioactive compounds of 44 traditional and exotic Brazilian fruit pulps: phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. Int J Food Prop 2018; 21: 106-118.
• 2 Zeraik ML, Queiroz EF, Marcourt L, Ciclet O, Castro-Gamboa I, Silva DH. et al. Antioxidants, quinone reductase inducers and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from Spondias tuberosa fruits. J Funct Foods 2016; 21: 396-405.
• 3 Fraige K, Dametto AC, Zeraik ML, de Freitas L, Saraiva AC, Medeiros AI. et al. Dereplication by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS and screening for biological activities of Byrsonima species (Malpighiaceae). Phytochem Anal 2018; 29: 196-204.