Araticum (Annona crassiflora Mart.), a native fruit from the Brazilian Cerrado, is known for its high content of phenolic compounds, particularly flavonoids. These biomolecules exhibit diverse biological activities, including potential anti-inflammatory effects. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the modulation of inflammatory targets by araticum pulp through an integrative approach combining in vitro assays and in silico analyses. UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS identified 75 compounds, predominantly flavonoids and phenolic acids. HPLC-DAD analysis evidenced high levels of flavonoids (mainly epicatechin and procyanidin B2), but low carotenoid content. Araticum pulp demonstrated a strong antioxidant capacity, particularly through the scavenging of hydroxyland peroxyl radicals, and exhibited consistent activity in ABTS•+, DPPH, and FRAP assays. Moreover, araticum significantly inhibited NF-κB activation by 60.98% in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Molecular docking shows stable interactions of major flavonoids from araticum with inflammatory targets, especially IL1R/IL1β, JAK1, and JAK2. These results provide novel insights into the bioactive profile of araticum pulp, evidencing the fruit as a natural source of compounds with antioxidant activity and modulatory effects on inflammatory signaling and cytokine production.
A et al. (Tue,) studied this question.