COUNTERACTION OF OXIDATIVE DAMAGE BY POMEGRANATE JUICE. INFLUENCE OF THE CULTIVAR

Background and objectives: Pomegranate (Punica granatum) has gained widespread popularity as potential functional food. In different studies, pomegranate juice (PJ) has been shown to exert antiatherogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects, which have been attributed to its high phenolics content. The differences in polyphenols contents and antioxidant activities of commercial PJ, related to cultivar and/or industrial processing [1], must be carefully taken into accounts in evaluating the health effects of PJ. The aim of this study was to rank PJ from different cultivar according to their total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity. According to the ranking three PJ (Wonderful, Hicaz and G2) were then chosen, characterized for their phenolic composition, and used for HepG2 cells supplementation to evaluate their biological protective activity. Methods: Cells were supplemented with PJ at two different medium concentration, and an oxidative stress was determined in some experiments by cell exposure to H2O2. Results obtained in PJ supplemented cells were compared to unsupplemented controls (stressed and not stressed) and to cells supplemented with tocopherol. Results: In stressed condition, all PJ but Hicaz at the highest concentration counteracted H2O2 induced cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the oxidative damage was effectively counteracted by all PJ in a dose and cultivar-dependent manner. Conclusions: Our results point out the importance of the cultivar in the degree of protection that can be achieved in cells after PJ supplementation, in some cases comparable to vitamin E.