Potential Health Benefits of Banana Phenolic Content during Ripening by Implementing Analytical and In Silico Techniques
Eftichia Kritsi,
Thalia Tsiaka,
Georgios Sotiroudis,
Elizabeth Mouka,
Konstantinos Aouant,
Georgia Ladika,
Panagiotis Zoumpoulakis,
Dionisis Cavouras,
Vassilia J. Sinanoglou
Affiliations
Eftichia Kritsi
Laboratory of Chemistry, Analysis & Design of Food Processes, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of West Attica, Agiou Spyridonos, 12243 Egaleo, Greece
Thalia Tsiaka
Laboratory of Chemistry, Analysis & Design of Food Processes, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of West Attica, Agiou Spyridonos, 12243 Egaleo, Greece
Georgios Sotiroudis
Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48, Vas. Constantinou Ave., 11635 Athens, Greece
Elizabeth Mouka
Laboratory of Chemistry, Analysis & Design of Food Processes, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of West Attica, Agiou Spyridonos, 12243 Egaleo, Greece
Konstantinos Aouant
Laboratory of Chemistry, Analysis & Design of Food Processes, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of West Attica, Agiou Spyridonos, 12243 Egaleo, Greece
Georgia Ladika
Laboratory of Chemistry, Analysis & Design of Food Processes, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of West Attica, Agiou Spyridonos, 12243 Egaleo, Greece
Panagiotis Zoumpoulakis
Laboratory of Chemistry, Analysis & Design of Food Processes, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of West Attica, Agiou Spyridonos, 12243 Egaleo, Greece
Dionisis Cavouras
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of West Attica, Agiou Spyridonos, 12243 Egaleo, Greece
Vassilia J. Sinanoglou
Laboratory of Chemistry, Analysis & Design of Food Processes, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of West Attica, Agiou Spyridonos, 12243 Egaleo, Greece
Banana ranks as the fifth most cultivated agricultural crop globally, highlighting its crucial socio-economic role. The banana’s health-promoting benefits are correlated with its composition in bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds. Thus, the present study attempts to evaluate the potential health benefits of banana phenolic content by combing analytical and in silico techniques. Particularly, the total phenolic content and antioxidant/antiradical activity of banana samples during ripening were determined spectrophotometrically. In parallel, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis was implemented to unravel the variations in the phenolic profile of banana samples during ripening. Chlorogenic acid emerged as a ripening marker of banana, while apigenin and naringenin were abundant in the unripe fruit. In a further step, the binding potential of the elucidated phytochemicals was examined by utilizing molecular target prediction tools. Human carbonic anhydrase II (hCA-II) and XII (hCA-XII) enzymes were identified as the most promising targets and the inhibitory affinity of phenolic compounds was predicted through molecular docking studies. This class of enzymes is linked to a variety of pathological conditions, such as edema, obesity, hypertension, cancer, etc. The results assessment indicated that all assigned phenolic compounds constitute great candidates with potential inhibitory activity against CA enzymes.
