Simulated Gastric Digestion of Calafate (Berberis microphylla) Berry Enhances Phenolic Bioaccessibility and Bioactivity Against Gastric Adenocarcinoma.

Calafate (Berberis microphylla), a native berry of Chilean Patagonia, exhibits high antioxidant capacity due to its phenolic content. This study evaluates the effect of simulated gastric digestion on the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds and their subsequent impact on the viability and migration of gastric adenocarcinoma cells. The composition was analyzed by spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods; antioxidant capacity was analyzed by ORAC and CUPRAC methods; and antitumoral properties were analyzed by cell viability and migration cell assays. Results showed that total phenolics and sugars increased during gastric digestion. Flavonols, hydroxycinnamic acids, and berberine content increased after gastric digestion by enzyme action, while anthocyanins showed moderate stability regardless of enzyme activity. CUPRAC antioxidant capacity increased post-digestion, while ORAC values remained stable. In vitro assays in AGS (gastric adenocarcinoma) and GES-1 (normal gastric epithelium) cell lines demonstrated that the digested extract did not compromise normal cell viability. However, they promoted negligible proliferation of AGS after 48 h of exposure to the digested extract but decreased cell migration, such as in the original extract. These findings suggest that gastric digestion enhances Calafate phenolic bioaccessibility, without compromising it's in vitro antimetastatic properties.