BIOACTIVE POTENTIAL OF HOPS (Humulus lupulus L.) GROWN IN BRAZIL

Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) is widely known as one of the main ingredients used in beer production. This plant belongs to the Cannabaceae family and has the characteristic of being dioecious, climbing and adapted to temperate climates in the northern hemisphere. The inflorescence of female plants, the cone, has lupulin glands that secrete secondary metabolites valued by the brewing sector for adding aromatic notes to the beer. The H. lupulus cone has been extensively characterized. It is known that this matrix is a source of bitter acids, polyphenols, flavonoids and terpenes with great bioactive potential. However, studies on the Cascade variety, which has been produced in Brazil in recent years due to its adaptability to the tropical climate, are still relatively few. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of hop extracts of H. lupulus grown in the state of Santa Catarina. The extracts were obtained via supercritical fluid-assisted extraction (SFAE) using CO2. The extractive process was carried out with 10g of the dried and powdered under the following conditions: temperature of 50ºC, pressure of 150 Bar, extraction time of 60 minutes, and no co-solvent. The final yield was 15.4%. The evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity was carried out by the Griess method, by means of the determination of the concentration of nitric oxide (NO) formed. For that, a strain of mouse macrophages (RAW 264.7) stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used. The addition of LPS induces oxidative stress, which in turn results in the production of NO (quantified by the Griess kit). The anti-inflammatory drug Dexamethasone (50 mM) was used as positive control, whereas samples in the absence of LPS were used as negative controls. The concentration of NO produced was read by a microplate reader at a wavelength of 540 nm (ELX800 Biotek microplate reader, Bio-Tek Instruments, Inc., Winooski, VT, USA). The results were calculated through the graphic representation of the percentage of inhibition of the production of nitric oxide versus the concentration of the sample, and expressed in relation to the concentration of the extract that promotes the inhibition of 50% of the production of NO (IC50). The Cascade hop extract promoted a significant inhibition of NO (IC50= 274.0 ± 11µg/ml) (p˂0.05) verified by the Griess method. This result suggests that the Cascade hop cone grown in Brazil has anti-inflammatory potential, likely due to the presence of phenolic compounds, flavonoids and terpenes. Thus, it is possible to affirm that Brazilian hops have potential as a source of bioactive compounds for the pharmaceutical and food industries, and can be exploited for the manufacture of high value-added products such as nutraceuticals and functionalizing natural ingredients. Our further researches will focus on spent hop material, as developing sustainable approaches for the upcycle of brewery residues into valuable bioactive molecules is of great importance for stimulating the hop production chain in Brazil.