Summary: | Extracts rich in pectic polysaccharides associated to polyphenols were obtained from alperujo, the by-product of olive oil extraction, by different thermal treatments and subsequent chemical treatments. The resulting “Pectoliv” extracts exhibited strong antioxidant activities and a high antiproliferative capacities in vitro against colon carcinoma Caco-2 and leukemia monocytic THP-1 cell lines. Bleaching of the extracts with sodium chlorite removed the phenolic compounds and significantly reduced antiproliferative and antioxidant activities, confirming that these were due mainly to the associated polyphenols present in Pectoliv. However, even after bleaching, these activities remained very similar to that of a commercial citrus modified pectin obtained by chemical treatment from citrus pectin, which has been implicated in cancer treatment and prevention. Thus Pectolivs have a high potential as antiproliferative or antioxidant agents.
|