Dados do Trabalho

Título

IN VIVO VERIFICATION OF THE BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL INDICATED BY IN SILICO STUDY OF A FUNCTIONAL ORANGE BEVERAGE

Introdução

Functional beverages can be produced using tools such as the fermentation of agro-industrial waste, and medicinal and aromatic plants due to the specific content of bioactive molecules. In this context, the inclusion of Mentha piperita L. extracts in fermented orange beverages sparks great interest in the food industry, offering potential therapeutic effects.

Material e Métodos

This study aims to identify the main active compounds in fermented orange beverage (FOB) and FOB containing M. piperita L. extract (FOB-MP; 2% v/v.), estimate its therapeutic profile through in silico analysis, and validate these effects in animal model. Beverages had its main compounds identified by HPLC-DAD and biological activity prediction of the identified compounds was performed using computational simulations (Way2DrugPASS platform). After, biological evaluation was conducted using a gastric ulcer models in rats by intragastric administration of ethanol (EtOH) and treated after 1 h with 0.5 mL/100 g (b.w.) of FOB-MP or FOB. Stomach samples from each rat were removed for histological analyses and oxidative status measurement (TBARS and NPSH content).

Resultados e Discussão

The FOB-MP had the highest phenolic and flavonoid content compared to the FOB. Hesperidin (124–130 mg/L), narirutin (66–70 mg/L), chlorogenic (11–16 mg/L), caffeic (5.3–5.5 mg/L), and ferulic (1–1.7 mg/L) acids were found in the different formulations. The prediction of biological effects suggested that the evaluated compounds has biological properties of therapeutic importance, including antioxidant, anti-ulcer, and gastroprotective activities. Stomach analysis showed that EtOH resulted in changes in the mucus layer, ulcerative lesions, reduced gastric mucosal protection and oxidative stress. Treatment with FOB or FOB-MP did not reduce these ulcerative alterations compared to the untreated group. Treatment with FOB, but not with FOB-MP, showed an antioxidant action in vivo by reducing lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and increasing GSH levels (NPSH) confirming previous findings in silico studies.

Conclusão

The phenolic composition, mainly flavonoids, is possibly the determining factor for FOB to have an antioxidant effect and FOB-MP not. The experimental protocol used in this investigation and/or the presence of high EtOH concentration in FOB and FOB-MP may have been the factors for the absence of gastrorepair and antiulcerative effects.