NODES - SPOKE 6 Project FORMIDABILÆ - D2.4 Extract of nutraceutical compounds

In this documenti twenty-eight traditional maize varieties from Northern-Central Italy were cultivated and analyzed for their untargeted phenolic profiles. Phenolic compounds were extracted using acidified methanol and analyzed through untargeted UHPLC-Q-Exactive mass spectrometry, using dedicated polyphenol databases. The average total polyphenol content was 3107.4 mg/kg, with some varieties like Va1292 Rosso dell’Amiata and Va216 Giallo comune showing particularly high levels of anthocyanins and other phenolics. Each phenolic class was distinctly distributed among the genotypes. Eleven representative extracts were selected for further in vitro cell culture studies. Induction of oxidative stress with hydrogen peroxide significantly increased ROS levels (+300.6%), whereas treatment with the 13, 18, 19 and 31 extracts significantly reduced ROS accumulation, with decreases ranging from 33% to 43% compared to the H₂O₂ treated condition, confirming their antioxidant potential. MTT results for extracts 19 and 31 showed no significant differences in cytotoxicity between WI-38 (non-tumoural) and U251 or 4T1 (tumoural) cells, suggesting a lack of selective antitumour activity. Extract 18, however, exhibited the most pronounced reduction in U251 and 4T1 cell viability, further supporting its potential anti-tumour activity. This document is a deliverable of the project FORMIDABILÆ ("Forage system to make resilient Maize, Dairy and Biogas supply chains for a Lasting Agricultural Ecosystem"), which promotes approaches aimed at improving the smart, resilient, circular and diversified farm to ensure food security and social economic sustainability of dairy food chains with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in this sector. This document is part of the project NODES which has received funding from the MUR – Missione 4, Componente 2, Investimento 1.5 – Creazione e rafforzamento di “Ecosistemi dell’innovazione”, costruzione di “leader territoriali di R&S'' – del PNRR funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU with grant agreement no. ECS00000036