Potencial antioxidante eembriotoxicidade de frutos e folhas de Solanumbetaceum cav. em modelo zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Abstract

The tree tomato is an important Andean resource for food and medicinal use and has great potential for cultivation and acceptance in Brazil. It is a very versatile fruit, which can be consumed fresh or processed into various food products. For a good use of the species Solanum betaceum in Brazil, are studies both of the phytochemical composition of the fruits obtained locally, as well as of cultivation techniques and adaptation of the species to the tropical climate. The contents of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant potential of three different accessions of tree tomato plants grown in Brazil were obtained, with yellow, red and purple fruits, which differed phytochemically in relation to the mechanisms of antioxidant action, which indicates the importance of conserving the germplasm of the different accessions. According to the tests carried out, the purple and yellow pulp fruits have the best potential antioxidants, and their consumption should be encouraged by the population, since red is the most traditional. Among the solvents used, water was not a good extractor, however it may be that in a living organism the water presents better bioavailability of phenolic compounds. Also taken were the antioxidant potential and toxicological effects in zebrafish embryos of the leaf and fruit extracts of S. betaceum. Like S. betaceum leaves they have high antioxidant potential and, at the same time, high toxicity in the development of zebrafish embryos. The use of leaves by folk medicine is done topically, probably, the therapeutic anti-inflammatory effects of phenolic compounds can be obtained more safely than with their ingestion. The fruits, which make up the traditional diet of the eina population, have less antioxidant activity and lower harmful effects on embryos. This work is configured as an initial basis for pharmacological studies of the species S. betaceum in an animal model, allowing the planning of a future study on the therapeutic effect of tree tomatoes.