Comparative chemical analysis of eight Punica granatum L. peel cultivars and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities

A comparative quali-quantitative study of the peel extracts of eight Punica granatum cul- tivars obtained from underexploited areas of South Italy was carried out in order to valorize them as health-promoting by-products. The results showed that all of the samples possessed 45 ellagi- tannins, consisting mainly of polyhydroxyphenoyls; 10 flavonoids, belonging to flavonol, flavone, and catechin classes; and 2 anthocyanins. The most representative compounds underwent quantifi- cation through a LC-MS/MS multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-based method; their qualitative profile was almost superimposable, while variability in the quantitative phenolic content was ob- served. The antioxidant activity was investigated using cell-free and cell-based assays. The in vitro anti-inflammatory potential was also studied by monitoring three typical markers of inflammation (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α). Moderate differences in both activities were observed between the cul- tivars. Results showed that all of the investigated peels have a potential use as healthy bioactive phytocomplexes due to the interesting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities; in particular from the bioinformatic approaches a series of compounds, including galloyl-, pedunculagin- and ellagic acid-based, were found to be highly correlated with bioactivity of the extracts. Finally, the bioactivities showed by a Campanian local cultivar, ‘Granato di Aiello del Sabato’, could promote its cultivation by local farmers and germplasm conservation.