Antioxidant and lipid lowering effects of dried fruits oil extract of Pterodon emarginatusin Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant and lipid-lowering effects of Pterodon emarginatus Vog. Oil obtained from the dried fruits by using Caenorhabditis elegans as an experimental model. Worms were exposed to different concentrations of P. emarginatus oil for 30 min. Following treatments, survival, life span, reproduction, lipid accumulation and oxidative stress endpoints were assessed. The oil composition was analyzed by GC–MS. The oil extract (0.2, 0.5, 1.0 mg/mL) increased worms longevity without affecting their reproduction. Under oxidative stress conditions, the oil provided protection against pro-oxidants, decreased reactive oxygen species production and increased antioxidant enzymes levels, thus indicating that increased survival against the pro-oxidants might be associated with the increase in antioxidant response, possibly by modulation of gene expression. Furthermore, we observed that the oil extract reduced lipid accumulation and triglycerides. We determined flavonoids and total phenolic content, which revealed a small amount of these phytochemicals. The GC–MS analysis demonstrated the presence of different components such as sesquiterpenes, which in association with flavonoids may be contributing to the antioxidant activity and to the reduction in lipid accumulation observed in C. elegans, thus indicating that this oil should be further studied as a functional food. Keywords: C. elegans, Oil extract, Lipid accumulation, Oxidative stress