Chemoprotective effect of spinach plant (Chenopodiaceae) extracts

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) possesses a variety of metabolites with biological functions, including antitumor and chemoprotective activity[1], but little is known about the modulation of this secondary metabolite induction by abiotic stress (i.e. hypoxia), and it’s correlation to human health. By means of HPLC-MS analysis, we demonstrated that 24 h low oxygen stress can modify the balance of the secondary metabolites presence in spinach. By Comet Assay and Luminescent Cell Viability Assay, we showed that different spinach aqueous extracts and fresh spinach juices have different antioxidant and antiproliferative activities on human colon adenocarcinoma HT-29 cell line, depending on the concentration of antioxidants in each extract. A relathionship among different concentrations of antioxidant molecules present in each extract and biological activities on cells was stated. When the antioxidant content increases over a defined threshold, the overall antioxidant activity is reduced or lost, probably due to a prooxidant activity of such molecules in the biological system[2]. In conclusion, spinach provides a valuable contribution to the field of chemoprevention and prevention of chronic degenerative diseases thanks to its antioxidant and antiproliferative properties.