Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
One of the oldest known plants is the pomegranate tree (Punica granutum L.), native to the Mediterranean
region. This plant's edible and non-edible portions have been shown to provide several health advantages. It has
long been recognized as a source of bioactive chemicals, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids
and amino acids. Large amounts of industrial waste are generated during the industrial processing of
pomegranates, and 40 to 50% of the whole fruit is typically discarded 1. In this context, the present work was
conducted to determine the chemical composition and bioactive properties of pomegranate leaves to support
their potential utilisation as functional ingredients. Three extraction methodologies were evaluated: maceration,
microwave and ultrasound-assisted extractions. The chemical composition of the different extracts was
determined using HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS. The antioxidant potential was assessed using two cell-based assays: TBARS
and CAA. Sulforhodamine B colourimetric assay was used to assess the antiproliferative capacity using several
tumour cell lines and the primary culture of non-tumour cells (PLP2). The anti-inflammatory activity was
measured through the extract's capacity to inhibit nitric oxide production. Finally, antimicrobial activity was
evaluated using the microdilution method. The results showed that the main phenolic compounds found in the
three extracts were gallic and caffeic acid derivatives, and flavonoids such as luteolin, apigenin, quercetin, and
kaempferol derivatives. All the extracts exhibited capacity to inhibit tumor cell lines proliferation (GI50 of 19 - 76
μg/mL). Gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) showed a higher sensitivity to all three leaf extraction methodologies. All
three extracts presented lower IC50 values in the TBARS antioxidant assay (0.83 - 1.70 μg/mL) than the positive
control Trolox (IC50 = 9.1 ± 0.3 μg/mL). The extracts presented a broad-spectrum antimicrobial inhibition with. K.
pneumoniae showing the highest susceptibility to the extracts, (MIC values 0.6 mg/mL). These results suggest
that pomegranate leaves can be sustainably exploited as a source of health-promoting biomolecules, to be used
as functional ingredients in some biobased applications.
Description
Keywords
Pomegranate leaves Research Subject Categories::TECHNOLOGY::Chemical engineering::Food technology
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Marcelino, Sandra Andreia Gonçalves; Oludemi, Taofiq; Mandim, Filipa; Finimundy, Tiane C.; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.; Barros, Lillian (2022). How do extraction methodologies influence the biological properties of pomegranate leaves? In Livro de Resumos do 12º Encontro Nacional de Cromatografia & XIV WARPA. Aveiro
Publisher
Sociedade Portuguesa de Química