Secondary metabolic profiles and anticancer actions from fruit extracts of immature pomegranates

PLoS One. 2021 Aug 10;16(8):e0255831. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255831. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Immature fruits from Punica granatum L. thinning are a neglected side product of pomegranate production with cumbersome disposal costs for farmers. To explore value potential of immature fruits from pomegranate 'Wonderful' cultivars, the compositional landscapes and antitumorigenic activities of pomegranate extracts from two different stages of maturation were assessed. Cancer cell proliferation and cytotoxicity was quantified in human lung H1299 and colon HCT116 adenocarcinomas by crystal violet staining, MTS assay and caspase-3 activity. High performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC/DAD) and high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS) analyses indicate that immature fruits are rich sources of gallotannins and ellagitannins, with the highest amounts contained in immature fruit peels. Biological investigations reveal a robust anticancer activity by those immature P. granatum fruit extracts, which reflected induction of tumor cytotoxicity and cell death mechanisms. Together, present observations suggest P. granatum byproducts from the thinning process may provide unexplored values for virtuous circular economy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / pharmacology
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Fruit / chemistry
  • Fruit / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Hydrolyzable Tannins / analysis
  • Hydrolyzable Tannins / pharmacology
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry*
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology
  • Pomegranate / chemistry
  • Pomegranate / metabolism*
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • Hydrolyzable Tannins
  • Plant Extracts

Grants and funding

Vera Salus Ricerca S.r.l. provided support in the form of salaries and research materials for authors VR, CGL and GMP, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘authors contributions’ section.