CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

POLYPHENOLS FROM CAFAYATE GRAPE POMACE DISPLAY HIGH INHIBITORY ACTIVITY ON HUMAN ACETYLCHOLINESTERASESalazar, Paula Belen.; Minahk, Carlos.; Rodríguez-Vaquero, Maria JosePolyphenols are ubiquitous plant metabolites that have been the subject of increasing interest due to their benefits on human health. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase is a very promising strategy because it may impact several pathologies such as myasthenia gravis, glaucoma and particularly Alzheimer´s disease. This study analyze the effect of phenolics-rich extracts from winery wastes on human acetylcholinesterase activity. Grape pomace of Torrontes and Malbec grape varieties was obtained from a Cafayate winery (Valles Calchaquíes, Argentina). From each sample, a methanolic and ethyl-acetate extracts were obtained using maceration and soxhlet equipment. The total phenolic content and a preliminary phenolic profile in each waste sample were evaluated using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and TLC assay. The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity of different extracts and pure phenolic compounds was determined by Ellman´s colorimetric method and also using indoxylacetate as the chromogenic substrate. Human red blood cell acetylcholinesterase in its membrane-bound form was used as the target enzyme, because this isoform was a good model of the more important isoforms associated for instance to Alzheimer´s and myasthenia gravis. Both grape pomace extracts noticeably inhibited AChE, but the red grape pomace was more effective at inhibiting the enzyme activity. These findings suggest that waste material from the winemaking industry could be a promising source of anticholinesterase agents. These by-products will could have high added value, which will aid the regional economy.