Nutraceutical Properties of the Hydroalcoholic Extract and Phenolic Compounds from Yucca aloifolia Edible Flowers

Abstract

AbstractThe flowers of Yucca aloifolia (“flor de izote”) are considered a millenary food in the Northeastern Highlands of Puebla, Mexico. The present investigation reports on the chemical and biological activities of the hydroalcoholic extract (YAHF) obtained from this edible source. HPLC‐MS profiling revealed twenty bioactive phenolic compounds with chlorogenic acid (16.5 mg g−1 DW), quercetin (9.5 mg g−1 FW), and their glycosides (rutin and quercitrin), as well as caffeic acid (8.4 mg g−1 DW) and ferulic acid (7.9 mg g−1 DW) as major compounds dissolved in YAHF. Six metabolites had potent anti‐lipase (IC50<100 μg mL−1) and anti‐ornithine decarboxylase activity (IC50<100 μg mL−1), whereas thirteen exerted strong anti‐alpha‐glucosidase properties (IC50<100 μg mL−1). The evaluation of YAHF in mice subjected to standard oral glucose tolerance tests and prolonged administration of hypercaloric/atherogenic diet (30 days), unraveled their ability to improve glucose and lipid profiles. YAHF and six phenolic compounds significantly reduced DLD‐1 cell viability (IC50, 117.9 μg mL−1) and avoided polyamine accumulation linked to anti‐ornithine decarboxylase activity. YAHF and its twenty constituents exerted low toxicity in probiotics (>1000 μg mL−1) and 3T3 fibroblasts (>2.5 mg−mL−1), sustaining their safeness for human consumption.