Bioaccessibility and nutraceutical potential of phenolic compounds in Annona crassiflora Mart. pulp for colorectal chemoprevention.

This study evaluated the bioaccessibility of amines, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity in marolo pulp (MP), as well as the chemopreventive effects of a crude marolo pulp extract (MPCE) against colorectal carcinogenesis. MP was subjected to simulated gastrointestinal digestion following the INFOGEST protocol. In vitro analysis revealed that MP and MPCE differed in their total phenolic (9.16 and 29.58 mg GAE/g, respectively) and flavonoid contents (7.26 and 25.52 mg CE/g, respectively), and antioxidant activities (ABTS: ~ 66.0 and 225.1 µmol TE/g; DPPH: 66.0 and 91.0 µmol TE/g, respectively). The bioaccessibility of phenolics (~ 22%) and flavonoids (~ 18%) was low, and certain compounds such as p-coumaric, chlorogenic, and ferulic acids were detected only in the undigested pulp, whereas quercetin concentration markedly increased after intestinal digestion (+ 388.7%). Three amines were identified in MP—putrescine (~ 21 mg/kg), spermidine (~ 6 mg/kg), and tyramine (~ 32 mg/kg)—with bioaccessibility indices of ~ 59%, ~ 37%, and ~ 90%, respectively. For the in vivo evaluation, Wistar rats (n = 6 per group) received oral MPCE at 0.05, 0.11, or 0.23 g/kg bw/day for 30 days. Preneoplastic lesions were induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH). MPCE at the two lowest doses significantly reduced the frequency of aberrant crypt foci compared with DMH-treated controls. Taken together, the phenolic constituents and antioxidant capacity of MPCE contribute to its chemopreventive effects in vivo, supporting the potential of marolo pulp as a functional food or source of nutraceuticals for colorectal cancer prevention.