Buriti (Mauritia Flexuosa L.) pulp oil as an immunomodulator against enteropathogenic Escherichia coli

doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.112330

Industrial Crops and Products

Volume 149, July 2020, 112330

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.112330 Get rights and content

Highlights

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Buriti oil did not show toxicity to human blood mononuclear phagocytes.
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The rate of cellular phagocytosis in EPEC increased with buriti oil.
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The oil did not significantly contribute to the increase of microbicide index.
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Buriti oil is rich in carotenoids, oleic and palmitic acid.

Abstract

Bioactive compounds present in fruit oils have an antioxidant activity, which may be related to an immunomodulatory effect, which in turn can result in a microbicidal activity. Hence, the main aim of the current study is to evaluate the immunomodulatory effect of buriti oil (Mauritia Flexuosa L.) against enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). Therefore, buriti pulp oil was extracted and characterized for saponification, peroxide and acidity index, total carotenoid content, fatty acid profile, hydrophilic and lipophilic fraction antioxidant capacity, cell viability, and phagocytosis of EPEC by mononuclear (MN) cells. The heat extraction process did not cause hydrolytic rancidity and oxidative rancidity in the oil, and the result is an acid value of 17.44 mg KOH/g of oil and a low peroxide value (0.062 meq peroxide/1000 g of oil). However, the saponification index was elevated (239.79 mg KOH/g of oil) due to the presence of low molecular weight fatty acid. As concerns the profile of the fatty acid, the oil is composed mainly of oleic acid (72.23 %) and palmitic acid (22.18 %). In addition, buriti oil presented a high content of carotenoids (760.5 ± 46.4 μg of β-carotene/g of oil), related to its antioxidant capacity. Moreover, buriti oil did not show toxicity to human blood MN phagocytes and increased the rate of cellular phagocytosis in EPEC and its microbicide index (69.3 ± 6.6 %), when compared with the negative control group. (48.1 ± 5.4 %).

Introduction

The Brazilian Cerrado is the richest tropical savannah in the world in terms of biodiversity and the second largest biome in South America (Sano et al., 2010). As fruits from the Cerrado are rich in bioactive compounds, they may present promising alternatives for the prevention and treatment of diseases (Bailão et al., 2015). Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa L.), the most abundant Brazilian native palm of the Arecaceae family, is of particular interest in this respect.

Buriti is an oval drupe protected by a scaly pericarp which can be either red or dark-red. The mesocarp is edible, while the endocarp has a spongy texture. It is rich in bioactive compounds, such as vitamins, antioxidants, unsaturated oils, and dietary fiber, and is principally found in the swamp areas of the Amazon Forest and the Cerrado. Moreover, given an annual production of over 10,000 tons, the plant offers considerable socioeconomic potential (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, 2018; Neri-Numa et al., 2018; Resende et al., 2019).

Buriti fruit is used in ice cream, jams, and desserts, and is an important source of oil. It is also frequently used as a skin ointment and in the treatment of some diseases due to its tonic, anthelmintic, antibacterial, and antimutagenic potential and healing properties. Moreover, buriti has been widely used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations, such as body lotions, sun screens, etc. (Koolen et al., 2012; Milanez et al., 2018; Neri-Numa et al., 2018; Nobre et al., 2018; Resende et al., 2019; Ribeiro et al., 2010).

Recently, some in vitro studies have reported on the antimicrobial activity of buriti oil when combined with aminoglycosides antibiotic, using the microdilution transfer plate technique to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of buriti oil against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and other multidrug-resistant bacterial strains (Nobre et al., 2018; Pereira et al., 2018). However, the authors have found no ex vivo studies of the immunomodulatory effects of buriti oil with human peripheral blood mononuclear (MN) cells, or their contribution to the phagocytosis of microorganisms or the Antimicrobial Index.

Evidence suggests that fatty acids act as detergents in the amphipathic structure of a bacterial cell membrane, increasing the cell’s permeability and impairing essential processes such as energy generation by oxidative phosphorylation (Pereira et al., 2018).

The main compound of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Release of LPS is a known route for the activation of phagocytes, the first line of host defense against bacterial infections (Honorio-França et al., 2013; Martinez et al., 2008).

In the literature, another factor related to the elimination of bacteria by MN phagocytes is the activation of oxidative metabolism, due to cellular stimulation, by immunomodulatory agents such as bioactive compounds present in various foods and medicinal plants. This leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species and release of free radicals, and consequent microbicidal activity (Côrtes et al., 2013).

Hence, the present study was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of buriti oil in the stimulation of phagocytosis and elimination of enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) by MN phagocytes from human blood. For this purpose, buriti oil was characterized regarding carotenoid content, fatty acids profile, and antioxidant capacity. Finally, the correlation between the oil composition and immunomodulation effect was performed.

Section snippets

Samples

Approximately 2 kg of natural buriti pulp from the city of Bom Jardim de Goiás, State of Goiás (16° 11’ 12” S, 52° 10’ 14” W) was used. The pulp was packed in polyethylene bags and stored at -18 °C until oil extraction and analysis were carried out.

Chemicals and reagents

The chemicals 2,2’-azinobis (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS, ≥98 %), (±)-6-hidroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid (Trolox®, 97 %), 2,2’-azobis (2-amidino-propane) dihydrochloride (AAPH), fluorescein disodium, acridine

Chemical characterization of buriti oil

Chemical characterization of an oil is essential to determine its quality, identity, and stability, as regards the quality of the raw material, processing and profile of fatty acids (Lima et al., 2017; Serra et al., 2019). Of these quality parameters, the acidity index should be the lowest possible, since high values are indicative of changes, compromising the potential use of the oil as a food.

In this study, the acidity index (Table 1) was close to (17.44 mg KOH/g oil) but slightly higher than

Conclusion

Buriti pulp oil has proved have potential for use in the food and pharmaceutical industries. It has a high carotenoid content, which can be considered a rich source of these compounds, which, combined with the high concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids and the predominance of oleic acid, contribute to its high nutritional quality and stability during heating. Palmitic acid is another predominant fatty acid found in buriti oil. However, low molecular weight fatty acids were also found,

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Mariana Bento Cruz: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Investigation, Writing - original draft. Wellington da Silva Oliveira: Conceptualization, Software, Validation, Investigation, Writing - review & editing. Renata Lázara Araújo: Methodology, Software, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing - original draft. Adenilda Cristina Honório França: Resources, Writing - review & editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition. Paula Becker Pertuzatti: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal

Declaration of Competing Interest

None.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT) for their support and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPQ) for their financial support for funding this study (407220/2016-0).

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Buriti (Mauritia Flexuosa L.) pulp oil as an immunomodulator against enteropathogenic Escherichia coli

Highlights

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Samples

Chemicals and reagents

Chemical characterization of buriti oil

Conclusion

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Declaration of Competing Interest

Acknowledgments

Food Res. Int.

J. Immunol. Methods

Exp. Parasitol.

Food Chem.

J. Supercrit. Fluids

Pharmacol. Res.

J. Microbiol. Immunol.

Int. J. Pharm.

J. Appl. Biomed.

Food Res. Int.

Sci. Hortic-Amsterdam

Food Res. Int.

Eur. J. Integr. Med.

Food Chem.

Food Chem.

Toxicol. Lett.

Food Chem.

Food Res. Int.

J. Biotechnol.

J. Food Anal.

J. Control. Release

Bioactive compounds found in Brazilian Cerrado fruits

Int. J. Mol. Sci.

Integrative approach using GC-MS and Easy Ambient Sonic-Spray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (EASI-MS) for comprehensive lipid characterization of buriti (Mauritia flexuosa) oil

J. Braz. Chem. Soc.

Revue: méthodes d’évaluation du degré d’oxydation des lipides et mesure du pouvoir antioxydant

Sci. Aliments

The alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin e boosts elastase activity of human PMNs and their ability to kill Streptococcus pneumoniae

Front. Cell. Infect. Mi.