Abstract
Carica papaya is widely used in folk medicine as herbal remedy to prevent, protect against, and cure several diseases. These curative properties are based on the presence in different parts of the plant of phytochemical nutrients with antioxidant effect. Seeds are the less exploited part; thus this study is aimed at assessing the antioxidant activities of the C. papaya seeds water extract against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) oxidative stress in human skin Detroit 550 fibroblasts. C. papaya seeds water extract is not toxic and acts as a potent free radical scavenger, providing protection to Detroit 550 fibroblasts that underwent H2O2 oxidative stress. Data show that (i) the maximum protective effect is achieved by the simultaneous administration of the extract with 1 mM H2O2; (ii) the extract in presence of an oxidative stress does not increase catalase activity and prevents the release of cytochrome C and the inner mitochondrial transmembrane potential (Δψ m) loss; (iii) the extract is more efficient than vitamin C to hamper the oxidative damage; (iv) the purified subfractions of the seeds water extract exert the same antioxidant effect of whole extract. In conclusion, C. papaya seeds water extract is potentially useful for protection against oxidative stress.
Highlights
Oxidative stress, based on imbalance between prooxidants production and antioxidant defences, is involved in aging process and in several human chronic diseases, for example, cancer, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, macular degeneration, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammation, and emphysema [1]
We found that (i) the protective effect was exerted when the extract was added concomitantly to the oxidative stress, suggesting that the bioactive compounds of C. papaya extract are not inactivated by H2O2 but, can scavenge H2O2 but not free radical; (ii) the sufficient dose to induce antioxidant effect in our experimental design is 1 mg/mL, likely due to the concentration of the diverse bioactive molecules; (iii) the crude whole extract is effective as much as the subfractions
Since experimental H2O2 oxidative stress is based on two-step procedure, that is, 1 mM H2O2 for 1 h followed by 1 h of recovery in fresh medium, we found that the best modality of papaya extract administration is when it is added simultaneously with the oxidative stress inducer
Summary
Oxidative stress, based on imbalance between prooxidants production and antioxidant defences, is involved in aging process and in several human chronic diseases, for example, cancer, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, macular degeneration, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammation, and emphysema [1]. Vitamins C and E, β-carotene, flavonoids, tannins, anthocyanins, and other phenolic compounds are plant derived compounds with antioxidant activities by scavenging free radicals and represent a special group of nutritional supplements Food rich in these antioxidants plays a key role in the prevention of oxidative stress based diseases [2, 3]. Several scientific studies validate many of these traditional uses by demonstrating that C. papaya displays a wide range of therapeutic activities (i.e., antiprotozoal, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic, wound healing, antitumor, neuroprotective, diuretic, abortifacient, and antifertility) [6, 7] These properties mainly depend on the antioxidant activity of some secondary metabolites present in the C. papaya organs.
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