Dados do Trabalho

Título

CYTOTOXICITY ASSAY OF DAMAGED CACAO SEEDS IN CACO-2-CELLS

Introdução

There are few studies on the use of cacao seeds damaged by pests (insects, endemic diseases, etc.) and their impact on quality. Worldwide, 30-40% of cocoa production is lost due to these pests, resulting in the commercial blending of cocoa beans from damaged fruits with healthy fruits. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic potential of cacao seeds (unfermented and dried) diseased (D) and rotten (R) compared to healthy (H) cacao seeds.

Material e Métodos

D and R cacao seeds were evaluated at 3 levels of damage: low, medium and high. Cytotoxicity was determined in Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells using the MTT assay. For that, the extracts were prepared in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and hydroalcoholic solution (1:1 in H2O, v/v), and diluted in DMEM (cell culture medium) with the concentrations ranging from 1-500 µg/mL, ensuring that the residual amount of solvent was in non-cytotoxic concentrations (≤ 1%). Control cells were incubated with DMEM alone. ANOVA followed by Dunnett's test were performed (p < 0.05), to compare H x D and R.

Resultados e Discussão

All extracts prepared in DMSO showed no cytotoxicity at concentrations below 50 µg/mL, i.e. >80% of the cells were considered viable compared to control cells. However, at concentrations above 100 µg/mL, all extracts evaluated showed <80% viable cells. In the hydroalcoholic extracts, at concentrations below 250 µg/mL, no cytotoxicity was observed in any of the extracts evaluated. However, at concentrations of 500 µg/mL, all extracts, including H, showed <80% viable cells, except extract R at the highest damage level assessed (89.0 ± 4.6% viable cells). Extracts D had a statistically significant higher number of viable cells than extract H at all damage levels assessed (p < 0,05). Extract R at the lowest damage level had a lower percentage of viable cells, value similar to extract H (just under 50%, p = 0.9216).

Conclusão

The study demonstrated that dried cocoa seeds damaged by disease or rotten can be considered safe, as well as healthy ones, as they do not present cytotoxic risks in Caco-2, according to MTT assays.