Discovery of bioactives in tropical fruits.
Monteith G. R., Wilkinson A. S., Flanagan B. M., Dietzgen R. G., Shaw P. N., Gidley M. J., Roberts-Thomson S. J.
Author Affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
Proceedings of the tropical fruits in human nutrition and health conference 2008, Couran Cove Island Resort, Gold Coast, Australia, 8-11 November 2008 : 189-194
Abstract : High throughput platforms for the identification of bioactives have been widely used for many years by large pharmaceutical companies to identify potential leads for new therapeutics. More recently, high throughput instruments have been applied to nutraceutical research. Luminescence and fluorescence-based methods allow the identification of bioactives that act via a diverse array of mechanisms including the modulation of transcription factors, ion channels, receptors and transporters. We have identified that signature molecules found in tropical fruit, such as mangiferin in mangoes, are modulators of specific transcription factors. Fractions from mangoes also exhibit bioactivity for transcription factors as identified by luminescence-based gene reporter assays. Specific fractions inhibiting the proliferation of breast cancer cells have been identified using microplate-based assays. The ability of high throughput-based methods to assess cellular signals such as calcium using fluorometric imaging plate reader (FLIPR) microplate readers, and the advent of high content screening methodologies for the simultaneous assessment of a variety of cellular processes, should greatly accelerate the identification and characterisation of bioactives in tropical fruits.