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. 2020 Mar 6;21(5):1814.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21051814.

Characterization and Cytotoxicity Assessment of the Lipophilic Fractions of Different Morphological Parts of Acacia dealbata

Cátia S D Oliveira  1 , Patrícia Moreira  2 , Judite Resende  1   3 , Maria T Cruz  2   4 , Cláudia M F Pereira  2   5 , Artur M S Silva  3 , Sónia A O Santos  1 , Armando J D Silvestre  1
Affiliations

Characterization and Cytotoxicity Assessment of the Lipophilic Fractions of Different Morphological Parts of Acacia dealbata

Cátia S D Oliveira et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Acacia dealbata biomass, either from forest exploitation or from the management of invasive species, can be a strategic topic, namely as a source of high-value compounds. In this sense, the present study aimed at the detailed characterization of the lipophilic components of different morphological parts of A. dealbata and the evaluation of their cytotoxicity in cells representative of different mammals' tissues. The chemical composition of lipophilic extracts from A. dealbata bark, wood and leaves was evaluated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Terpenic compounds (representing 50.2%-68.4% of the total bark and leaves extracts, respectively) and sterols (60.5% of the total wood extract) were the main components of these extracts. Other constituents, such as fatty acids, long-chain aliphatic alcohols, monoglycerides, and aromatic compounds were also detected in the studied extracts. All the extracts showed low or no cytotoxicity in the different cells tested, demonstrating their safety profile and highlighting their potential to be used in nutraceutical or pharmaceutical applications. This study is therefore an important contribution to the valorization of A. dealbata, demonstrating the potential of this species as a source of high value lipophilic compounds.

Keywords: Acacia dealbata; GC–MS analysis; biorefinery; cytotoxicity; forest biomass; lipophilic compounds; nutraceutical applications; pharmaceutical applications.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The major families of lipophilic compounds identified in DCM extracts of A. dealbata bark, wood and leaves. Abbreviations: FA, fatty acids; LCAA, long-chain aliphatic alcohols; T, terpenic compounds; ST, sterols; MG, monoglycerides and AR, aromatic compounds.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of the major constituents identified in the A. dealbata bark, wood and leaves lipophilic extracts.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of lipophilic extracts from A. dealbata on non-differentiated (A) and differentiated (B) neuronal N2A, microglia BV-2 (C), macrophages Raw 264.7 (D), fibroblasts NIH/3T3 (E), keratinocytes HaCaT (F), lung A549 (G) and liver hepatocyte HepG2 (H) cells viability. Cells were treated for 24 h at 37 °C with concentrations of 0–50 µg mL−1 of lipophilic extracts obtained from bark, wood and leaves of A. dealbata and then viability was evaluated by the MTT assay. The results expressed as percentage (%) of control represent the mean ± SEM of at least 3 independent experiments performed in triplicate. Statistical analysis was made by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Dunnett’s multiple comparison test. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001, **** p < 0.0001 significantly different compared to control.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of lipophilic extracts from A. dealbata on non-differentiated (A) and differentiated (B) neuronal N2A, microglia BV-2 (C), macrophages Raw 264.7 (D), fibroblasts NIH/3T3 (E), keratinocytes HaCaT (F), lung A549 (G) and liver hepatocyte HepG2 (H) cells viability. Cells were treated for 24 h at 37 °C with concentrations of 0–50 µg mL−1 of lipophilic extracts obtained from bark, wood and leaves of A. dealbata and then viability was evaluated by the MTT assay. The results expressed as percentage (%) of control represent the mean ± SEM of at least 3 independent experiments performed in triplicate. Statistical analysis was made by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Dunnett’s multiple comparison test. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001, **** p < 0.0001 significantly different compared to control.
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