Assessment and characterization of tomato lipophilic electrophiles and their potential contribution to nutraceutical properties via SKN-1/Nrf2 signaling activation.

CARRANZA AV; BONACCI, GUSTAVO; MORAN Y; ASPRELLI P; CARRARI FERNANDO; ASIS RAMON

FOOD CHEMISTRY

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2021 vol. 366

0308-8146

hytochemical electrophiles are drawing significant attention due to their properties to modulate signaling pathways related to cellular homeostasis. The aim of this study was to develop new tools to examine the electrophilic activity in food and predict their beneficial effects on health. We developed a spectrophotometric assay based on the nitrobenzenethiol (NBT) reactivity, as a thiol-reactive nucleophile, to screen electrophiles in tomato fruits. The method is robust, simple, inexpensive, and could be applied to other types of food. We quantified the electrophile activity in a tomato collection and associated this activity with the pigment composition. Thus, we identified lycopene, β- and γ-carotenes, 16 by-products of carotenoid oxidation and 18 unknown compounds as NBT-reactive by HPLC-MS/MS. The potential benefits of NBT-reactive compounds on health were evaluated inthe in vivo model of C. elegans where they activated the SKN-1/Nrf2 pathway, evidencing the ability of e