Chemical characterisation and bioactive properties of Prunus avium L.: The widely studied fruits and the unexplored stems

•Nutritional characteristics of P. avium fruits were confirmed.•Fruits methanol/water extract showed antitumor potential against HCT-15.•Aqueous and methanol/water extracts of P. avium stems gave high antioxidant potential.•Stems revealed a higher content in phenolic compounds than fruits.•Stems rev...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Food chemistry 2015-04, Vol.173, p.1045-1053
Main Authors: Bastos, Claudete, Barros, Lillian, Dueñas, Montserrat, Calhelha, Ricardo C., Queiroz, Maria João R.P., Santos-Buelga, Celestino, Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antioxidant activity
Antioxidants - chemistry
Antioxidants - pharmacology
Antitumor potential
Fruit - chemistry
Fruits/stems
Nutrients
Phytochemicals
Plant Extracts - chemistry
Plant Extracts - pharmacology
Plant Stems - chemistry
Prunus - chemistry
Prunus avium
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Summary:•Nutritional characteristics of P. avium fruits were confirmed.•Fruits methanol/water extract showed antitumor potential against HCT-15.•Aqueous and methanol/water extracts of P. avium stems gave high antioxidant potential.•Stems revealed a higher content in phenolic compounds than fruits.•Stems revealed to be a source of bioactive phytochemicals. The aim of this study was to characterise sweet cherry regarding nutritional composition of the fruits, and individual phytochemicals and bioactive properties of fruits and stems. The chromatographic profiles in sugars, organic acids, fatty acids, tocopherols and phenolic compounds were established. All the preparations (extracts, infusions and decoctions) obtained using stems revealed higher antioxidant potential than the fruits extract, which is certainly related with its higher phenolic compounds (phenolic acids and flavonoids) concentration. The fruits extract was the only one showing antitumor potential, revealing selectivity against HCT-15 (colon carcinoma) (GI50∼74μg/mL). This could be related with anthocyanins that were only found in fruits and not in stems. None of the preparations have shown hepatotoxicity against normal primary cells. Overall, this study reports innovative results regarding chemical and bioactive properties of sweet cherry stems, and confirmed the nutritional and antioxidant characteristics of their fruits.
ISSN:0308-8146
1873-7072
DOI:10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.10.145