Avaliação do extrato aquoso da alfarroba (Ceratonia siliqua L.) e seus possíveis efeitos antioxidantes e sobre o metabolismo lipídico em Caenorhabdits elegans

Abstract

The Ceratonia siliqua L. popularly known as Carob, part of the class of many foods contain a large number of antioxidants, especially phenolic compounds of the composition. Moreover, this food has been used as cocoa substituent in many food products depending on the flavor and color similar, but with reduced lipid content. Some studies suggest that the aqueous extract of carob has a protective effect against free radicals. However, they are necessary in vitro and in vivo in order to prove the effectiveness of this functional food. Therefore, Caenorhabditis.elegans used as an experimental model towards replace the use of mammalian and offer new opportunities assays to assess the efficacy of natural products. Our study has shown that the aqueous extract of carob showed excellent potential kidnapper of reactive species by in vitro assays to reduce the DPPH radical and reduction of iron. This effect may be due to the presence of phenolic compounds as found in chemical analysis. From this, our study ran activities in vivo. The extract showed no significant toxicity to the tested concentration (62.0μg / ml), as noted in survival and longevity tests. It was also noted that the carob extract protects against mortality induced by paraquat in the short term, but the same was not true in the long run. It was found also reducing lipid peroxidation and an increase in the enzymatic activity of catalase, suggesting be related to the transcription factor DAF-16 important for the antioxidant defense in these animals. Furthermore, our study has demonstrated that the aqueous extract of carob is more efficient than cacao extract in reducing triglyceride levels in wild nematodes and tub-1 mutants (most obese) without altering food intake. This effect may be related to high content of fiber present in the extract, as observed by bromatological assay. In conclusion, our study suggests that the use of carob is safe and can be very beneficial to the consumer fact, phenolic compounds and providing fibers which can assist in aging and weight reduction.