Triterpene Esters and Biological Activities from Edible Fruits ofManilkara subsericea(Mart.) Dubard, Sapotaceae
Manilkara subsericea(Mart.) Dubard (Sapotaceae) is popularly known in Brazil as “guracica.” Studies withManilkaraspp indicated the presence of triterpenes, saponins, and flavonoids. Several activities have been attributed toManilkaraspp such as antimicrobial, antiparasitic and antitumoral, which indicates the great biological potential of this genus. In all, 87.19% of the hexanic extract from fruits relative composition were evaluated, in which 72.81% were beta- and alpha-amyrin esters, suggesting that they may be chemical markers forM. subsericea. Hexadecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester, (E)-9-octadecenoic acid ethyl ester, and octadecanoic acid ethyl ester were also identified. Ethanolic crude extracts from leaves, stems, and hexanic extract from fruits exhibited antimicrobial activity againstStaphylococcus aureusATCC25923. These extracts had highIC50values against Vero cells, demonstrating weak cytotoxicity. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that beta- and alpha-amyrin caproates and caprylates are described forManilkara subsericea.