Abstract
This work aimed to evaluate the phytochemical content and to determine the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of methanol extracts of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) germ flour. The extracts were rich in phenolic compounds, had considerable antioxidant activity, and reduced the viability of cervical (HeLa) cancer cells. The chemical content and the biological activities of the extracts were significantly affected by gender and cultivar. Female cultivar Galhosa had the highest levels of phenolic compounds, and the highest antioxidant activity. Extracts from the hermaphrodite trees and from the female cultivars Galhosa and Costela/Canela exhibited the highest cytotoxic activity. The most abundant compound was theophylline. The phenolic content was correlated to both antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. Our findings provide new knowledge about the health implications of consuming food supplemented with carob germ flour.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- RSA:
-
Radical scavenging activity
References
Dakia P, Wathelet B, Paquot M (2007) Isolation and chemical evaluation of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) seed germ. Food Chem 102:1368–1374
Bengoechea C, Romero A, Villanueva A, Moreno G, Alaiz M, Millán F, Guerrero A, Puppo MC (2008) Composition and structure of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) germ proteins. Food Chem 107:675–683
Wang Y, Belton PS, Bridon H, Garanger E, Wellner N, Parker ML, Grant A, Feillet P, Noel TR (2001) Physicochemical studies of caroubin: A gluten-like protein. J Agric Food Chem 49:3414–3419
Avallone R, Plessi M, Baraldi M, Monzani A (1997) Determination of chemical composition of carob (Ceratonia siliqua): Protein, fat, carbohydrates, and tannins. J Food Comp Anal 10:166–172
Luthria D (2006) Significance of sample preparation in developing analytical methodologies for accurate estimation of bioactive compounds in functional foods. J Sci Food Agric 86:2266–2272
Gülçin I, Mshvildadze V, Gepdiremen A, Elias R (2006) Antioxidant activity of a triterpenoid glycoside isolated from the berries of Hedera colchica: 3-O-(β-d-glucopyranosyl)- hederagenin. Phytother Res 20:130–134
Custódio L, Fernandes E, Escapa AL, Aligué R, Alberício F, Romano A (2009) Antioxidant activity and in vitro inhibition of tumor cell growth by leaf extracts from the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.). Pharm Biol 47:721–728
Julkunen-Tiitto R (1985) Phenolic constituents in the leaves of northern willows: Methods for the analysis of certain phenolics. J Agric Food Chem 33:213–217
Naczk M, Amarowicz R, Pink D, Shahidi F (2000) Insoluble condensed tannins of canola/rapeseed. J Agric Food Chem 48:1758–1762
Lamaison L, Carnat A (1990) Teneurs en acide rosmarinique, en dérivés hydroxycinnamiques totaux et activités antioxydantes chez les Apiacées, les Borraginacées et les Lamiacées médicinales. Pharm Acta Helv 65:315–320
Brand-Williams W, Cuvelier ME, Berset C (1995) Use of a free radical method to evaluate antioxidant activity. Lebensm Wiss Technol 28:25–30
Wang D, Wang L, Zhu F, Zhu J, Chen XD, Zou L, Saito M, Li L (2008) In vitro and in vivo studies on the antioxidant activities of the aqueous extracts of Douchi (a traditional Chinese salt-fermented soybean food). Food Chem 107:1421–1428
Choi Y, Jeong HS, Lee J (2007) Antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from some grains consumed in Korea. Food Chem 103:130–138
Mosmann T (1983) Rapid colorimetric assay for cellular growth and survival: Application to proliferation and cytotoxicity assays. J Immunol Methods 65:55–63
Chang M, Ho Y, Lee P, Chan C, Lee J, Hahn L, Wang Y (2001) Areca nut extract and arecoline induced the cell cycle arrest but not apoptosis of cultured oral KB epithelial cells: Association of glutathione, reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial membrane potential. Carcinogenesis 22:1527–1535
Li W, Gao Y, Zhao J, Wang Q (2007) Phenolic, flavonoid, and lutein ester content and antioxidant activity of 11 cultivars of Chinese marigold. J Agric Food Chem 255:8478–8484
Barracosa P, Osório J, Cravador A (2007) Evaluation of fruit and seed diversity and characterization of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) cultivars in Algarve region. Sci Hortic 114:250–257
Corsi L, Avallone R, Cosenza F, Farina F, Baraldi C, Baraldi M (2002) Antiproliferative effects of Ceratonia siliqua L. on mouse hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. Fitoterapia 73:674–684
Ito K, Lim S, Caramori G, Cosi B, Chun KF, Adcock IM, Barnes PJ (2002) A molecular mechanism of action of theophylline: Induction of histone deacetylase activity to decrease inflammatory gene expression. PNAS 99:8921–8926
Pleuvry BJ (2006) CNS stimulants: Basic pharmacology and relevance to anaesthesia. Anesth Int Care Med 7:60–62
Ordoñez AAL, Gomez JD, Vattuone MA, Isla MI (2006) Antioxidant activities of Sechium edule (Jacq.) Swartz extracts. Food Chem 97:452–458
Chon S-U, Heo B-U, Park Y-S, Kim D-K, Gorinstein S (2009) Total phenolics level, antioxidant activities and cytotoxicity of young sprouts of some traditional Korean salad plants. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 64:25–31
Hamad İ, Erol-Dayi Ö, Pekmez M, Önay-Uçar E, Arda N (2010) Antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of Aphanes arvensis extracts. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 65:44–49
Klenow S, Jahns F, Pool-Zobel BL, Glei M (2009) Does an extract of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) have chemopreventive potential related to oxidative stress and drug metabolism in human colon cells? J Agric Food Chem 57:2999–3004
Klenow S, Glei M (2009) New insight into the influence of carob extract and gallic acid on hemin induced modulation of HT29 cell growth parameters. Toxicol in Vitro 23:1055–1061
Miller AB (1990) Diet and cancer. Rev Oncol 3:87–95
Halliwell B (2007) Oxidative stress and cancer: Have we moved forward? Biochem J 401:1–11
Acknowledgements
This work was partially supported by CICYT (CTQ2006-03794/BQU), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CB06_01_0074 and PI060624), the Generalitat de Catalunya (2005SGR 00662), the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, and the Barcelona Science Park. L. Custódio thanks to the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for a post-doctoral grant (grant SFRH/BPD/20736/2004). The authors thank DANISCO Portugal Industrias de Alfarroba, LDA for providing the germ flour samples.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Custódio, L., Escapa, A.L., Fernandes, E. et al. Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of the Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Germ Flour Extracts. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 66, 78–84 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-011-0214-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-011-0214-8