Biological Properties of (Dunal), an Amazonian Fruit.

is an Amazonian fruit (cubiu) that has been domesticated since pre-Colombian era. It is also used in folk medicine to treat some clinical conditions. This investigation chemically characterized and analyzed the antioxidant and antitumoral effect of a cubiu pulp/seed hydroalcoholic extract. Cubiu extract was chemically characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD), its antioxidant capacity measured by 2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and the following complementary protocols were performed: (1) cytoprotective effect of cubiu on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) exposed to HO, a genotoxic and procarcinogen molecule; (2) effect of cubiu on low density lipoproteins oxidation; and (3) cytotoxic and antiproliferative effect on breast (MCF-7) and colorectal (HT-29) cancer cell lines. Biochemical and flow cytometry analyses were conducted in these protocols. Cubiu extract presented high concentrations of caffeic and gallic acids, beta-carotene, catechin, quercetin, and rutin, and its antioxidant capacity was confirmed. Cubiu attenuated HO cytotoxicity on PBMCs, presented lowering effect on LDL oxidation, and induced mortality and proliferative inhibition of colorectal cancer cells. In cancer cells, cubiu extract at 10 μg/mL showed similar effects to 5-fluorouracil chemo drug reducing its viability and frequency of S-phase, indicating that cells are undergoing mitosis. In summary, despite the limitations of protocols, our results suggest that cubiu has several biological properties that affect human health.