Abstract
Banana is one of the most consumed fruits in the world. Musa cavendish and Musa paradisiaca cultivars differential nutrition-health properties and more specifically their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential are poorly known. The objective of the present study was to compare the hydroalcoholic dry extracts nutrition-health properties of these two types of Guinea bananas. Total polyphenols contents were evaluated by Folin Ciocalteu method, antioxidant capacity by DPPH, ORAC and Mito-tracker assays. Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated in vitro on inflammatory macrophages. NO scavenging, NO and cytokines production (TNF-α and IL-6) were assessed. At 1 mg/mL, the extracts showed moderate total polyphenol content. Antioxidant activity potential was depended on the type of extracts. Banana pulps anti-inflammatory effects were demonstrated by the inhibition of NO cell production and NO scavenging suggesting that pulps have moderate anti-inflammatory effect as a function of doses (100, 50 and 25 µg/mL). However, none of the extracts inhibited the production of cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6). The present study indicates that Guinea bananas may be considered as an interesting food source of antioxidants associated to a moderate anti-inflammatory potential on specific inflammation markers. Keywords: Banana pulp; Banana peel; Antioxidant activity; Anti-inflammatory activity; Polyphenols.