Bioactivity screening of pinhão (Araucaria Angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze) seed extracts: the inhibition of cholinesterases and a-amylases, and cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities
The authors thank CNPq (Chamada Universal – MCTI/CNPq
No. 28/2018, Process 421541/2018-0) and Fundação Araucária
(convênio 039/2019) for financial support. This study was
financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de
Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001.
The authors thank Central Analítica Multiusuário da UTFPR
Campo Mourão (CAMulti-CM) for analysis. Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 – Associated Laboratory LSRE-LCM was
funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and
by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia. The authors are grateful to the Foundation for
Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020). M. I. Dias and L. Barros would like to acknowledge national funding from FCT, P. I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract.
The objective of this work was to determine the potential bioactive properties of extracts from bio-residues
of pinhão (Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze) seeds, namely the α-amylase and cholinesterase
inhibition, cytotoxicity, and anti-inflammatory properties. The pinhão extracts evaluated were obtained
from cooking water (CW) and as an ethanolic extract from residual pinhão seed shells (PS). Catechin was
the major compound found in both extracts. The PS extract presented higher antioxidant levels and the
better inhibition of human salivary and porcine pancreatic α-amylases when compared to the CW extract.
Also, based on in vivo evaluations, the PS extract did not differ significantly from acarbose when compared
to a control group. The most potent inhibitor of cholinesterases was the CW extract. No cytotoxicity
toward normal cells was detected, and neither extract showed anti-inflammatory activity. The PS extract
presented cytotoxic activity toward non-small-cell lung, cervical, hepatocellular and breast carcinoma
cell lines. Overall, the results demonstrated the potential bioactivity of extracts obtained from pinhão bioresidues.
