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Comparative analysis of phytochemical profile, antioxidant activities and foam prevention abilities of whole fruit, pulp and seeds of Emblica officinalis

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Abstract

Emblica officinalis fruit is commonly used in Ayurvedic formulations for its role in prevention of various diseases. Its seeds have been found to enhance the antioxidant defences of the body in diabetic rats and its pulp methanolic extract is known for its antioxidant potential. However the antioxidant activity of the seed in comparison to pulp needs to be studied. A comparative study of the antioxidant potential of the whole fruit, seeds and pulp, respectively, is needed to identify which part of the fruit could be exploited for pharmaceutical or nutraceutical purposes. We compared the free radical scavenging capacity of the methanol extract of seed, pulp and whole fruit extract and also identified major flavonoids and phenolics by HPLC profiling. We also assessed the oxidized LDL- induced foam cell prevention and nitrite scavenging activity after LPS stimulation of RAW 264.7 macrophages. Pulp showed the highest antioxidant activity compared to seeds with IC50 values of 6 μg/ml and 13 μg/ml for DPPH radical scavenging assay and 41 and 70 μg/ml for nitric oxide scavenging activity, respectively. After 5 h incubation, among the three extracts studied, pulp showed the highest activity—88.89 % prevention of LDL oxidation, higher than that of the standard, ascorbic acid. Phytochemical analysis showed that phenolic content was highest in pulp and total tannins highest in seeds. HPLC profiling documented the presence of caffeic acid, coumaric acid, syringic acid and myricetin in both pulp and seeds with gallic acid present in pulp and tannic acid in seeds and whole fruit extract.

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Acknowledgments

The research was funded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Cell Biotechnology Department, CSIR- Central Food Technological Research Institute, Cheluvamba Mansion, Mysore, 570020, India

    Sinjitha S. Nambiar, M. Paramesha & Nandini Prasad Shetty

Authors
  1. Sinjitha S. Nambiar
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  2. M. Paramesha
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  3. Nandini Prasad Shetty
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nandini Prasad Shetty.

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Highlights

• Among the three extracts, pulp methanolic extract had the highest antioxidant activity

• Pulp had the highest foam cell preventing and nitrite scavenging activity in RAW 264.7 cells

• Pulp extract showed highest phenolic content and seed extract showed highest tannin content

• HPLC analysis indicated gallic acid in pulp and tannic acid in seeds and whole fruit extract

• Quercetin and gallic acid were found to be present only in pulp and absent in seeds.

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Nambiar, S.S., Paramesha, M. & Shetty, N.P. Comparative analysis of phytochemical profile, antioxidant activities and foam prevention abilities of whole fruit, pulp and seeds of Emblica officinalis. J Food Sci Technol 52, 7254–7262 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-015-1844-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-015-1844-x

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