The acid and neutral fractions of pectins isolated from ripe and overripe papayas differentially affect galectin-3 inhibition and colon cancer cell growth

Author(s)

Pedrosa, Lucas de Freitas ^[1] ; Lopes, Rodrigo Guimaraes ^[1] ; Fabi, Joao Paulo ^{[2, 3, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Food Sci & Expt Nutr, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Food & Nutr Res Ctr NAPAN, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Sao Paulo Res Fdn, Food Res Ctr FoRC, CEPID FAPESP Res Innovat & Disseminat Ctr, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules; v. 164, p. 2681-2690, DEC 1 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The water-soluble fractions of pectin extracted from the pulp of ripe papayas have already been found to exert positive effects on cancer cell cultures. However, the mechanisms that lead to these beneficial effects and the pectin characteristics that exert these effects are still not well understood. Characteristics such as molecular size, monosaccharide composition and structural conformation are known as polysaccharide factors that can cause alterations in cellular response. During fruit ripening, a major polysaccharide solubilization, depolymerization, and chemical modification occur. The aims of this work are to fractionate the pectin extracted from the pulp of papayas at two stages of ripening (fourth and ninth day after harvesting) into uronic and neutral fractions and to test them for the inhibition of human recombinant galectin-3 and the inhibition of colon cancer cell growth. The structures of the fractions were chemically characterized, and the uronic fraction extracted from the fourth day after harvesting presented the best biological effects across different concentrations in both galectin-3 inhibition and viability assays. The results obtained may help to establish a relationship between the chemical structures of papaya pectins and the positive in vitro biological effects, such as inhibiting cancer cell growth. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/19657-8 - Effect of acidic and neutral papaya polysaccharides on colon cancer cells
• Grantee: Lucas de Freitas Pedrosa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 13/07914-8 - FoRC - Food Research Center
• Grantee: Bernadette Dora Gombossy de Melo Franco
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC
• FAPESP's process: 19/11816-8 - Effect of papaya modified fibers on three-dimensional co-culture of human colon cancer cells and on in vivo model of rats with chemically induced colon carcinogenesis
• Grantee: Joao Paulo Fabi
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 12/23970-2 - Biological changes of papaya pectins with possible benefits to human health
• Grantee: Joao Paulo Fabi
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants