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Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Copao (Eulychnia Acida Phil., Cactaceae) Fruits

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Abstract

Copao (Eulychnia acida Phil., Cactaceae) is an endemic species occurring in northern Chile. The edible fruits of this plant are valued for its acidic and refreshing taste. Phenolic-enriched extracts from copao fruit pulp and epicarp, collected in the Elqui and Limari river valleys, were assessed by its in vitro ability to inhibit the pro-inflammatory enzymes lipoxygenase (LOX) and cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2). At 100 μg/mL, pulp extracts showed better effect towards LOX than epicarp extract, while COX-2 inhibition was observed for both epicarp and pulp samples. In general, the extracts were inactive towards COX-1. A positive correlation was observed between the anti-inflammatory activity and the main phenolic compounds found in this fruit. Copao fruits from the Limari valley, a main place of collection and commercialization, showed major activity, adding evidence on the possible health-beneficial effects of this native Chilean fruit.

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Abbreviations

COX:

Cyclooxygenase

DMSO:

Dimethyl sulfoxide

IRH:

Isorhamnetin-3-O-[α-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-glucopyranoside]

LOX:

Lipoxygenase

RE:

Rutin equivalents

TEAC:

Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity

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Acknowledgments

Financial support from FONDECYT Project N° 1120096, PCCI12067, CONICYT-PCHA/Doctorado Nacional/ 2013–21130048 (F. Jimenez-Aspee) is kindly acknowledged

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Química de Productos Naturales, Universidad de Talca, Instituto de Química de Recursos Naturales, Casilla 747, Talca, Chile

    Felipe Jiménez-Aspee, Cristina Quispe, Maria del Pilar Caramantin Soriano & Guillermo Schmeda-Hirschmann

  2. Laboratorio de Investigación de Productos Naturales (LIPRON), Instituto de Química del NOA (INQUINOA, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina

    Maria Rosa Alberto, Iris Catiana Zampini & Maria Ines Isla

  3. Laboratorio de Cultivo Celular, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Talca, Casilla 747, 3460000, Talca, Chile

    Cristina Theoduloz

Authors
  1. Felipe Jiménez-Aspee
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  2. Maria Rosa Alberto
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  3. Cristina Quispe
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  4. Maria del Pilar Caramantin Soriano
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  5. Cristina Theoduloz
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  6. Iris Catiana Zampini
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  7. Maria Ines Isla
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  8. Guillermo Schmeda-Hirschmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guillermo Schmeda-Hirschmann.

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Jiménez-Aspee, F., Alberto, M.R., Quispe, C. et al. Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Copao (Eulychnia Acida Phil., Cactaceae) Fruits. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 70, 135–140 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-015-0468-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-015-0468-7

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