Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in vitro and in vivo of Butia and Opuntia fruits

Abstract Despite the consumption recommendations and the potential health benefits, Brazilian biodiversity has a large number of fruit species that are still unexplored, such as Butia catarinensis (Butia da Praia), Butia eriospatha (Butia da Serra) and Opuntia elata (Arumbeva). The phenolic compounds of these fruits were determined by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS. Morever, in vitro assays of antioxidant capacity on hydroethanolic extracts against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl ( OH), peroxyl (ROO ) and ABTS radicals were evaluated. In vivo assays evaluating the survival of worms and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were performed using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Eighteen, twenty-eight and seventeen phenolic compounds were identified in Butia da Praia, Butia da Serra and Arumbeva, respectively. The main groups of phenolic compounds found in the fruits were hydroxybenzoic acids (60.5, 26.5 and 96.1% of the total phenolic compounds for Butia da Praia, Butia da Serra and Arumbeva, respectively), flavan-3-ols (23.6 and 61.2% of the total phenolic compounds for Butia da Praia and Butia da Serra) and flavonols (2.6% of the total phenolic compounds for Arumbeva). The hydroethanolic extracts of these fruits were free radical scavenger, sources of phenolic compounds and did not cause toxic effects in vivo. In hydroethanolic extracts of Butia da Praia and Arumbeva, the total phenolic content increased by around 67% and 35%, respectively. Besides the health benefits, these proved to be promising sources of natural antioxidants, with phenolic composition variating among species and collection site. The obtained results enable future applications of studied fruits extracts in food and/or pharmaceutical products, encouraging and valuing the sustainable use of biodiversity.