Identification of Compounds with Potential Therapeutic Uses from Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Fruits and Their Modulation by Nitric Oxide (NO)

Plant species are precursors of a wide variety of secondary metabolites that, besides being useful for themselves, can also be used by humans for their consumption and economic benefit. Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) fruit is not only a common food and spice source, it also stands out for containing high amounts of antioxidants (such as vitamins C and A), polyphenols and capsaicinoids. Particular attention has been paid to capsaicin, whose anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative and analgesic activities have been reported in the literature. Due to the potential interest in pepper metabolites for human use, in this project, we carried out an investigation to identify new bioactive compounds of this crop. To achieve this, we applied a metabolomic approach, using an HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) separative technique coupled to metabolite identification by high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). After chromatographic analysis and data processing against metabolic databases, 12 differential bioactive compounds were identified in sweet pepper fruits, including quercetin and its derivatives, L-tryptophan, phytosphingosin, FAD, gingerglycolipid A, tetrahydropentoxylin, blumenol C glucoside, colnelenic acid and capsoside A. The abundance of these metabolites varied depending on the ripening stage of the fruits, either immature green or ripe red. We also studied the variation of these 12 metabolites upon treatment with exogenous nitric oxide (NO), a free radical gas involved in a good number of physiological processes in higher plants such as germination, growth, flowering, senescence, and fruit ripening, among others. Overall, it was found that the content of the analyzed metabolites depended on the ripening stage and on the presence of NO. The metabolic pattern followed by quercetin and its derivatives, as a consequence of the ripening stage and NO treatment, was also corroborated by transcriptomic analysis of genes involved in the synthesis of these compounds. This opens new research perspectives on the pepper fruit’s bioactive compounds with nutraceutical potentiality, where biotechnological strategies can be applied for optimizing the level of these beneficial compounds.

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Identification of Compounds with Potential Therapeutic Uses from Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Fruits and Their Modulation by Nitric Oxide (NO)

10.20944/preprints202103.0675.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lucía Guevara ◽

María Ángeles Domínguez-Anaya ◽

Alba Ortigosa ◽

Salvador González-Gordo ◽

Caridad Díaz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Capsicum Annuum ◽

Bioactive Compounds ◽

High Performance ◽

High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽

Higher Plants ◽

Metabolite Identification ◽

Sweet Pepper ◽

Ripening Stage ◽

Metabolic Pattern

Plant species are precursors of a wide variety of secondary metabolites that, besides having useful activity for themselves, can also be used by humans for their consumption and economic benefit. Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) fruit is not only a common food and spice source, but it also stands out for containing high amounts of antioxidants (such as vitamins C and A), polyphenols and capsaicinoids. Particular attention has been paid to capsaicin, whose anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative and analgesic activities, have been proven. Due to the potential interest in pepper metabolites for human use, in this project, we carried out an investigation to identify new bioactive compounds of this crop is carried out. To achieve this, we developed a metabolomic approach, using an HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) separative technique coupled to metabolite identification by high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). After chromatographic analysis and data processing against metabolic databases, 12 differential bioactive compounds were identified in sweet pepper fruits, including quercetin and its derivatives, L-tryptophan, phytosphingosin, FAD, gingerglycolipid A, tetrahydropentoxylin, blumenol C glucoside, colnelenic acid and capsoside A. The abundance of these metabolites varied depending on the ripening stage of the fruits, either immature green or ripe red. We also studied the variation of these 12 metabolites upon treatment with exogenous nitric oxide (NO), a free radical gas involved in a good number of physiological processes in higher plants such as germination, growth, flowering, senescence, and fruit ripening, among others. Overall, it was found that the content of the analysed metabolites was modulated by the ripening stage and by the presence of NO. The metabolic pattern followed by quercetin and its derivatives, as a consequence of the ripening stage and NO treatment, was also corroborated by transcriptomic analysis of genes involved in the synthesis of these compounds. This opens new research windows on the pepper fruit’s bioactive compounds with nutraceutical potentiality, where biotechnological strategies can be applied for optimizing the level of these beneficial compounds.

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COMPARATIVE CONTENT OF SOME BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN TWO VARIETIES OF CAPSICUM ANNUUM L. SWEET PEPPER AND EVALUATION OF THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL AND MUTAGENIC ACTIVITIES

Journal of Food Biochemistry ◽

10.1111/j.1745-4514.2009.00259.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 33 (6) ◽

pp. 852-868 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

F. NAZZARO ◽

G. CALIENDO ◽

G. ARNESI ◽

A. VERONESI ◽

P. SARZI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Capsicum Annuum ◽

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Sweet Pepper ◽

Capsicum Annuum L ◽

Comparative Content

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The role of endogenous nitric oxide in salicylic acid-induced up-regulation of ascorbate-glutathione cycle involved in salinity tolerance of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants

Plant Physiology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.11.040 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 147 ◽

pp. 10-20 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Cengiz Kaya ◽

Muhammad Ashraf ◽

Mohammed Nasser Alyemeni ◽

Parvaiz Ahmad

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Salicylic Acid ◽

Capsicum Annuum ◽

Salinity Tolerance ◽

Capsicum Annuum L ◽

Endogenous Nitric Oxide ◽

Glutathione Cycle

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Multispectral Assessment of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Fruit Quality Affected by Calcite Nanoparticles

Biomolecules ◽

10.3390/biom11060832 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 832

Author(s):

Monika Vidak ◽

Boris Lazarević ◽

Marko Petek ◽

Jerko Gunjača ◽

Zlatko Šatović ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Convex Hull ◽

Capsicum Annuum ◽

Fruit Quality ◽

Sweet Pepper ◽

Quality Analysis ◽

Morphological Properties ◽

Agricultural Practice ◽

Vegetable Crops ◽

Physiological Maturity ◽

Capsicum Annuum L

Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world because of the nutritional value of its fruits and its economic importance. Calcium (Ca) improves the quality of sweet pepper fruits, and the application of calcite nanoparticles in agricultural practice has a positive effect on the morphological, physiological, and physicochemical properties of the whole plant. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of commercial calcite nanoparticles on yield, chemical, physical, morphological, and multispectral properties of sweet pepper fruits using a combination of conventional and novel image-based nondestructive methods of fruit quality analysis. In the field trial, two sweet pepper cultivars, i.e., Šorokšari and Kurtovska kapija, were treated with commercial calcite nanoparticles (at a concentration of 3% and 5%, calcite-based foliar fertilizer (positive control), and water (negative control) three times during vegetation). Sweet pepper fruits were harvested at the time of technological and physiological maturity. Significant differences were observed between pepper cultivars as well as between harvests times. In general, application of calcite nanoparticles reduced yield and increased fruit firmness. However, different effects of calcite nanoparticles were observed on almost all properties depending on the cultivar. In Šorokšari, calcite nanoparticles and calcite-based foliar fertilizers significantly increased N, P, K, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu at technological maturity, as well as P, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, and N at physiological maturity. However, in Kurtovska kapija, the treatments increased only Ca at technological maturity and only P at physiological maturity. The effect of treatments on fruit morphological properties was observed only at the second harvest. In Šorokšari, calcite nanoparticles (3% and 5%) increased the fruit length, minimal circle area, and minimal circle radius, and it decreased the fruit width and convex hull compared to the positive and negative controls, respectively. In Kurtovska kapija, calcite nanoparticles increased the fruit width and convex hull compared to the controls. At physiological maturity, lower anthocyanin and chlorophyll indices were found in Kurtovska kapija in both treatments with calcite nanoparticles, while in Šorokšari, the opposite effects were observed.

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Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Fruits Contain an Atypical Peroxisomal Catalase That Is Modulated by Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species

Antioxidants ◽

10.3390/antiox8090374 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 374 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Marta Rodríguez-Ruiz ◽

Salvador González-Gordo ◽

Amanda Cañas ◽

María Jesús Campos ◽

Alberto Paradela ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Capsicum Annuum ◽

Fruit Ripening ◽

Reactive Oxygen ◽

Bovine Liver ◽

Sweet Pepper ◽

Cysteine Residue ◽

Nitrogen Species ◽

Capsicum Annuum L ◽

Native Molecular Mass ◽

Pepper Fruit

During the ripening of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) fruits, in a genetically controlled scenario, enormous metabolic changes occur that affect the physiology of most cell compartments. Peroxisomal catalase gene expression decreases after pepper fruit ripening, while the enzyme is also susceptible to undergo post-translational modifications (nitration, S-nitrosation, and oxidation) promoted by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS). Unlike most plant catalases, the pepper fruit enzyme acts as a homodimer, with an atypical native molecular mass of 125 to 135 kDa and an isoelectric point of 7.4, which is higher than that of most plant catalases. These data suggest that ROS/RNS could be essential to modulate the role of catalase in maintaining basic cellular peroxisomal functions during pepper fruit ripening when nitro-oxidative stress occurs. Using catalase from bovine liver as a model and biotin-switch labeling, in-gel trypsin digestion, and nanoliquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, it was found that Cys377 from the bovine enzyme could potentially undergo S-nitrosation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a cysteine residue from catalase that can be post-translationally modified by S-nitrosation, which makes it especially important to find the target points where the enzyme can be modulated under either physiological or adverse conditions.

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