Phenolic compounds from Virola venosa (Myristicaceae) and evaluation of their antioxidant and enzyme inhibition potential

Abstract

Virola venosa, popularly known in Brazil as ucuuba-da-mata, occurs naturally in the Amazon region and has potential to provide useful natural compounds, as already known for other Virola species. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition of bark and leaf extracts of V. venosa, and to test the antioxidant capacity and α-glucosidase inhibition potential of their compounds. Polar extracts showed to be more active in both assays, therefore a bioactivity-guided fractionation was performed to identify the compounds that were responsible for the recorded activities. Using a combination of LC-MS/MS analysis and isolation with NMR identification, eight phenolic compounds were identified. Assays with pure compounds of the active fraction revealed that ferulic acid was the main contributor compound to the observed bioactivity in the crude extracts.

1H NMR metabolomics analysis of oil palm stem tissue infected by Ganoderma boninense based on field severity Indices

“…Previous studies have extensively studied the role of phenolic compounds in defense against fungi and viral plant diseases, including the activity of phenolic monoterpene compounds against fungal pathogens in vitro 48 . Various fungitoxic mechanisms of phenolic compounds have been reported in previous studies, including distorting the integrity of the cell wall, changing cell membrane permeability, suppression of enzymes, elicitation of oxidative spikes, DNA damage, inhibition of protein synthesis, and repression of virulent genes 49 – 51 . The phenolic compounds identified were monocarboxylic acids, namely, acetic acid, in which one of the hydrogens in the methyl group was substituted with a hydroxyphenyl group.…”

Physiological Function of Phenolic Compounds in Plant Defense System

“…Previous studies by various scientists have suggested that phenolic compounds eliminate fungal pathogens by altering the permeability of cell membrane, altering the integrity of cell wall, suppression of enzymes activity, formation of free radicals, inhibition of certain protein biosynthesis, damage of DNA and suppressing the expression of virulence genes [115][116][117][118]. The mode of action of flavonoids against fungal pathogens include damage of cytoplasmic membrane, distraction of cell wall, induction of cell death process, inhibition of enzyme activities, chelating of metal ions, binding with extracellular or soluble proteins, inhibition of efflux pump activity [12].…”

Pharmacological Extracts and Molecules from Virola Species: Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, and Biological Activity

“…On the other hand, the species V. pavonis and V. peruviana are located in the Peruvian Amazon [ 12 , 13 ]. V. venosa is found in the Colombian Amazon region [ 14 ] and Brazil [ 15 ]. V. oleifera grows in the Atlantic Forest [ 16 ]; V. sebifera , in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama [ 3 ]; and V. surinamensis is distributed from Costa Rica to the Amazon basin [ 17 ].…”

“…Research investigating the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of V. venosa and its bioactive compounds revealed that the methanolic extracts of the bark and leaf had a high content of phenolic compounds, demonstrating a high activity in antioxidant and α-glucosidase-inhibitory tests. These results are therapeutically relevant since inhibitors of α-glucosidase are potential compounds for the treatment of diabetes because they reduce diet-induced hyperglycemia by inhibiting this intestinal enzyme [ 15 ]. Furthermore, the activity-guided fractionation of V venosa methanolic bark and leaf extracts showed the presence of phenolic acids (ferulic acid, gallic acid, and ρ -coumaric acid) and flavonoids (quercetin, quercetrin, kaempferol, and catechin), and identified ferulic acid as the main bioactive compound for the antioxidant and α-glucosidase-inhibitory activities [ 15 ].…”