Chemical composition and antiproliferative potential of dried wild apple and pear tea before and after in vitro simulated digestion

Abstract

Decoctions obtained from dried apple and pear fruits were subjected to in vitro digestion in the presence of a food matrix in order to determine changes in the polyphenol content and antiproliferative activity. The total phenolic and total proanthocyanidins contents were determined using spectrophotometrical methods, and the phenolic compounds were analyzed by RP-HPLC/DAD before and after digestion. Chlorogenic acid and phlorizin dihydrate were the major identified compounds. The addition of a food matrix immediately decreased the contents of individual and total phenolics. After digestion, they were slightly elevated but still lower than in the initial samples. Antiproliferative activity was investigated on human epithelial carcinoma cell line (HeLa), human colon carcinoma (LS174) and human foetal lung fibroblast (MRC-5) cells. The exhibited growth inhibition was not correlated with the content of phenolics in the tested samples, indicating that it could not be explained solely by their content. With the exception of the apple decoction effect on HeLa cells, the digestion process resulted in significant increases in the antiproliferative activity.