Antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities of acai (Euterpe precatoria) fruit pulp

Euterpe precatoria (EP), a species bearing the common name “acai”, has been rarely studied for potential health‐related properties. One recent study revealed that fruit pulp of EP contained similar polyphenolic profiles but in higher concentrations than that of another well‐studied “acai” Euterpe oleraceae (EO). In this study, the antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects of EP fruit pulp were evaluated. The total ORAC value against peroxyl radicals of EP fruit pulp was measured as 1828 μmol TE/g, which is almost 80% higher than that of EO. The antioxidant activities of EP fruit pulp against other free radicals were also measured by ORAC assay including: hydroxyl radicals, 4114 μmol TE/g; peroxynitrite, 87 μmol TE/g; super oxide anion, 1040 μmol TE/g; and, singlet oxygen, 629 μmol TE/g. The total ORAC value of EP fruit pulp, which combined these values, is 7698 μmol TE/g. Anti‐inflammatory effects of total polyphenols fraction (TP) of EP and EO fruit pulp were compared by NF‐κB SEAP reporter assay in measuring NF‐κB activation. In the initial screen using 2.5 μg/mL of TP, EP inhibited LPS‐induced NF‐κB activation by 23% (P<0.05), whereas EO didn't show inhibitory effects. Our data indicated that EP has promising antioxidant and potential anti‐inflammatory effects and warrants further investigation. ( This study was supported by MonaVie LLC ).