Assessment of Dietary Bioactive Phenolic Compounds and Agricultural Sustainability of an African Leafy Vegetable Corchorus olitorius L.

Lorenzo Guzzetti,Marynka Ulaszewska,Luca Campone,Grazia Sacco,Paola Fusi,Andrea Fiorini,Matilde Forcella,Massimo Labra,Davide Panzeri,Nicola Tommasi

doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.667812

Abstract

Corchorus olitorius L. is an African leafy vegetable of high nutritional interest. To assess its agricultural suitability to sustainable cultivation conditions and its potential benefits for human nutrition, its phytochemical content in response to conservation agriculture practices [i.e., no-tillage (NT) and cover crop maintenance] and low water regime were evaluated and compared with response under conventional agriculture management. Hydric stress and NT did not affect the content of antioxidant metabolites, compared to conventional agricultural practices. In both conditions, leaves were found to be a great source of phenolic compounds. The effect of these phenolic fractions was assessed on two colon cell phenotypes to evaluate putative nutraceutical properties. Polyphenol-enriched extracts (PEEs) displayed selective cytotoxic activities against tumor Caco-2 cells but not on the healthy CCD841 line. PEEs were able to trigger oxidative stress and to inhibit the activity of glutathione-independent antioxidant enzymes on Caco-2 cells. C. olitorius showed to be a promising crop for improving both agricultural sustainability and health benefits due to the great amount of antioxidant compounds in leaves, whose occurrence is not altered by stressful farming conditions. Given its high adaptability, the cultivation of this crop is therefore recommendable also in the Mediterranean Basin.

Highlights

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (i.e., SDG 2) highlight the need of identifying sustainable ways to produce food for human mankind as one of the major challenges of the Anthropocene era
The effect of each extract on the colon cells was evaluated by using CCD841 (ATCC R CRL-1790TM ) human healthy intestinal mucosa cell line and Caco-2 (ATCC R HTB-37TM ) human colorectal cancer cell line by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assays and through oxidative stress analyses [reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant enzymes assessment]
Cells were grown in EMEM supplemented with heat-inactivated 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 2 mM L glutamine, 1% nonessential amino acids, 100 U/mL penicillin, and 100 μg/mL streptomycin

Summary

Introduction

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (i.e., SDG 2) highlight the need of identifying sustainable ways to produce food for human mankind as one of the major challenges of the Anthropocene era. The population is inadequately nourished and many environmental systems and processes are pushed beyond safe boundaries by food production. In this context, the scientific targets for healthy diets and sustainable food systems are integrated into a common framework of “one health”; the innovation of the agri-food system in the modern society allows to merge the issue of malnutrition and sustainability. Diet is aimed at guaranteeing a suitable source of macronutrients and at ensuring a balanced intake of micronutrients [2], including bioactive compounds that can promote human health and solve global nutritional issues, such as hidden hunger, stunting and famine. Vitamins and minerals, and dietary phytochemicals such as plant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging compounds originating from leafy vegetables have been proved to contrast the outbreak of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), as well as metabolic disorders (e.g., obesity), so that their uptake is recommended by institutions such as the World Health

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