RESUMO

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.

RESUMO

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.

RESUMO

Berry production is a non-wood product worldwide recognized by its nutritional value and taste, but the most studied species are non-native commercial plants in productive areas, leaving aside native berries. We propose that native berries (Berberis microphylla G.Forst) naturally growing in degradation forests areas could diversify livestock establishment production and complement traditional uses (e.g., livestock). The aims of this work were to 1) environmentally characterize (e.g., soil nutrient content and physical conditions, air conditions and photosynthetically active radiation) in three degraded Nothofagus antarctica Oerst. forest (due to past fires and livestock use) of Tierra del Fuego; and 2) evaluate berries production of B. microphylla in terms of quality production (e.g., fruit number and weigh per shrub) and in terms of quality (individual fruit weight, fruit pulp percentage, and soluble solids content) to assess provisioning ecosystem service of this native shrub in different degraded areas. Studied sites were defined as: 1) Severe soil degradation condition (SEV) (high frequency of horses, bulls and some native guanacos year round, severe soil erosion, and shorter herbaceous layer), 2) Moderate soil degradation condition (MOD) (cattle and guanaco year round, intermediate level of soil erosion and intermediate height of herbaceous layer), and 3) Slight soil degradation condition (SLI) (livestock only during winter, but high frequency of native guanacos, lower soil erosion and taller herbaceous layer). (SEV) had the highest air and soil temperature, least soils nutrients content, highest bulk density, the least soil water content and the poorest fruit production. (MOD) had the highest soil water content and nutrient-rich soils, while (SLI) had the highest relative air humidity and PAR. B. microphylla shrubs grow with similar morphology on the different soil degraded condition. The highest fruit production were at (SLI), however the (SEV) had the highest soluble solids. We conclude that calafate shrubs in degraded Nothofagus forests offer a provisioning ecosystem service through their excellent fruits quality. Livestock farms could diversify their production through native fruits taking advantage of the altered areas occupied by B. microphylla. However, we recommend avoiding intensive livestock use in burned forests since it could lead to an irreversible soil erosion. Proper livestock management in Nothofagus burned forest could keep over the time not only the recognized ecosystem provision services (fruits, meat, wood), but also those of regulation and support that calafate shrubs offer and that make the functionality of the ecosystem.

RESUMO

Obesity is a major worldwide health threat. It is characterized by an abnormal adipose tissue overgrowth together with increased monocytes infiltration, causing inflammation and oxidative stress, events associated with several illnesses. Investigations have focused on the benefits of native fruit consumption, claiming these to be natural sources of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics. It has been widely stated that berries are a source of the most antioxidant compounds, and, thus, seem highly promising to endure research efforts on these vegetal matrices. The present article describes botanical, chemical and biomedical features of the Chilean native berries, Aristotelia chilensis, Ugni molinae, and Berberis microphylla. This work aims to potentiate incoming research focused on the search for novel treatments for first-order diseases with these particular plant sources.

Assuntos

RESUMO

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Patagonia is the southernmost part of the South American continent including Chile and Argentina. Berries and wild fruits have been gathered by the native Patagonians as food and medicine for over 14,000 years. The economic potential of the native berries as health promoting and relevant sources of bioactive substances has become apparent with several studies in the last decades. AIM OF STUDY: This work aims to provide an insight into the ethnohistorical records of wild edible fruits from Patagonia starting with the archeobotanical studies to the contemporary use of the resources. The chemical and bioactivity studies on the native fruits are presented and discussed. METHODOLOGY: A search of electronic databases including Scopus, Scielo, Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect and SciFinder, as well as hand-search was carried out to perform an integrative review on the native Patagonian berries. RESULTS: The use of native berries as food and medicine by the ancient hunter-gatherer societies can be traced back to the early occupation of Patagonia. The same species used in prehistoric times are still used as food by the contemporary population in this area. Chemical and bioactivity studies have reported remarkable activities in several of the native berries, including calafate (Berberis spp.), native strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis), currants (Ribes spp.), Patagonian raspberries (Rubus spp.) and maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) fruits. The increasing demand for maqui and calafate led to the selection of varieties for commercial production. The fruit constituents show strong antioxidant and inhibitory effect towards enzymes associated with metabolic syndrome, including α-amylase, α-glucosidase and lipase. Some berry constituents exert anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. The phytochemicals identified include a wide array of phenolics of different structural skeletons. Changes in composition and bioactivity after simulated gastric and intestinal digestion, as well as colonic fermentation, have been reported in some Patagonian species. CONCLUSIONS: Patagonian berries are a relevant source of bioactive compounds with several health promoting properties. The long tradition of use and the interest of the population for their consumption has led to the development of some of this fruits as new potential crops. The ethnobotanical evidence shows a shared knowledge among the different indigenous communities on plant uses according to the local resources, and an integration of the ancient knowledge into the contemporary society. Other species are being investigated to get a more complete picture of the food and medicinal plants from Patagonia.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Diverse edible berries are native to the Patagonian region of Southern Chile. These berries are underused because their nutritional properties are relatively unknown. In this work, the profiles and concentrations of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and flavonols, and the antioxidant capacity of the berry extracts, were studied using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS and CUPRAC assays, respectively. In total, 46 compounds were identified, including 17 hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and 26 flavonols. Caffeoylquinic acid isomers were the most abundant compounds, and quercetin and myricetin derivatives were the main flavonols found. The berries from Ribes genera showed a high diversity and concentration of these 2 families of compounds and contained 3-caffeoylquinic acid and quercetin-3-rutinoside at the highest concentrations. The Patagonian berries, especially the berries of Rubus and Ribes genera, had high cupric reducing antioxidant capacity, comparable with that described for berries from the Northern hemisphere. These results contribute to promote the nutritional study of these fruits.

Assuntos