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. 2025 Jul 30;14(15):2685.
doi: 10.3390/foods14152685.

Enhanced Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Apple and Korean Green Chili Pepper Extracts Cultivated with Mineral Supplementation

Ji-Sun Lim  1 , Mi-Hee Yu  2 , Dong Kyu Choi  3 , Hae Won Kim  2 , Seung-Hwan Park  4 , Sin-Il Sin  4 , Jong-Sang Kim  5
Affiliations

Enhanced Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Apple and Korean Green Chili Pepper Extracts Cultivated with Mineral Supplementation

Ji-Sun Lim et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Apples and Korean green chili peppers are rich in phytochemicals and recognized for their diverse bioactive properties. Given the potential to enhance these beneficial compounds, this study investigated the effects of mineral supplementation during cultivation on the antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of extracts from both crops. Mineral-enriched cultivation significantly increased the total phenolic and flavonoid contents in both crops, which was accompanied by enhanced DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities. Moreover, the mineral-supplemented extracts of Korean green chili pepper activated the Nrf2 signaling pathway and upregulated downstream antioxidant enzymes, including heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), γ-glutamylcysteine ligase (GCL), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Notably, the mineral-supplemented Korean green chili pepper extract significantly suppressed the proliferation of human colorectal cancer cells. These findings suggest that mineral supplementation during cultivation may improve the functional quality of apples and Korean green chili peppers, supporting their potential application in cancer prevention and complementary therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: Korean green chili pepper; Nrf2; anti-proliferative activity; antioxidant; apple; mineral-supplemented cultivation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of apple (A) and Korean green chili pepper (B) extracts on luciferase reporter activity in HCT116-ARE cells. Data are presented as mean ± SD from three independent experiments performed in triplicate. Asterisks and hash symbols denote statistically significant differences compared to the vehicle (p < 0.05, *; compared to vehicle control, #; compared to organic extract, ns = no significant difference). Organic: organically cultivated, DSWM: organically cultivated with mineral supplementation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scavenging activity of intracellular ROS levels of apple (A) and Korean green chili pepper (B) extracts in tBHP-induced oxidative stress model. Data are presented as mean ± SD from three independent experiments performed in triplicate. Asterisks and and hash symbols denote statistically significant differences compared to the vehicle (*** p < 0.001 vs. vehicle control, ## p < 0.01, ### p < 0.001 vs. tBHP-treated group). Organic: organically cultivated, DSWM: organically cultivated with mineral supplementation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Expression levels of antioxidant enzymes in HCT116 cells treated with apple (A) and Korean green chili pepper (B) extracts. Protein expression levels were normalized to β-actin and expressed as relative intensity. - : vehicle control, Organic: organically cultivated, DSWM: organically cultivated with mineral supplementation. HO-1: heme oxygenase-1, GCLC: glutamylcysteine ligase catalytic subunit, GPx4: glutathione peroxidase 4.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Growth inhibitory activities of apple (A) and Korean green chili pepper (B) extracts for HCT116 cells. Data are presented as mean ± SD from three independent experiments performed in triplicate. Asterisks and hash symbols denote statistically significant differences compared to the vehicle (*: p < 0.05, **: p < 0.01, ***: p < 0.001 vs. vehicle control; # p < 0.05 vs. extract at the same concentration; ns = no significant difference). Organic: organically cultivated, DSWM: organically cultivated with mineral supplementation.
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