Antioxidant and hypoglycaemic activities and their relationship to phytochemicals in Capsicum annuum cultivars during fruit development
2013
Tundis, Rosa | Menichini, Federica | Bonesi, Marco | Conforti, Filomena | Statti, Giancarlo | Menichini, Francesco | Loizzo, Monica R.
Four Capsicum annuum L. cultivars (Fiesta, Acuminatum, Orange Thai, and Cayenne Golden) were studied at two stages of fruits ripening (immature and mature) for total phenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin content and for their antioxidant and hypoglycaemic activities. Phenols content reached their maximum concentration in immature fruits and then declined, while carotenoids and capsaicinoids concentration increased as the peppers reached maturity. The antioxidant activity was elucidated by DPPH and β-carotene bleaching tests. Except for Cayenne Golden cultivar, the immature fruits showed the highest radical scavenging activity. On the contrary, the antioxidant activity evaluated by the β-carotene bleaching test showed a significant activity for mature peppers. The Cayenne Golden cultivar showed an IC50 value of 2.5 μg/ml after 30 min of incubation. Hypoglycaemic effects were examined in vitro via the inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. Fiesta, Orange Thai, and Cayenne Golden cultivars showed the highest inhibitory activity on α-amylase in the immature stage. The lipophilic fraction exhibited a selective inhibitory activity against α-amylase with IC50 values ranging from 9.1 μg/ml to 28.6 μg/ml in the immature stage. The study proposes the nutritional significance of consuming C. annuum raw peppers at both maturity stages because of interesting properties.
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