Propriedades bioativas dos glucosinolatos presentes na Moringa oleifera: uma revisão de literatura

Abstract

According to projections, by the year 2050 the world population will exceed 9.5 billion people. This significant population growth will cause an increase in the demand for food and, consequently, the food insecurity of the economically less favored classes. In this context, unconventional food plants (UFP) emerge as strategic measures to combat possible food vulnerability, On this account, beyond their nutritional capacity, they have bioactive chemical elements that provide physiological benefits to the consumer. Moringa oleifera is a UFP with arboreal characteristics, fast growth and easy adaptation to unfavorable climatic conditions due to its low nutritional and water requirements. All its parts are edible and can be used as a food supplement in places with significant malnutrition rates. Its phytochemical composition is wide, but glucosinolates have been a prominent target, as they confer prophylactic and therapeutic characteristics to the plant. Therefore, a review of the literature on Moringa and its bioactive compounds is essential, as it will contribute to future research and provide an accurate view of its state in the scientific field. Thereupon, the present work aimed to gather information, through scientific contributions, on the bioactive potential of glucosinolates and their hydrolysis product, isothiocyanates. To make it possible, the study was conducted through a literature search using the Google Scholar platform and the ScienceDirect, Scielo and Pubmed databases. Works in all languages that addressed the topics Moringa oleifera, glucosinolates and isothiocyanates were included. Works containing other Moringa species were excluded. Thus, findings in the literature indicated the possibility of using glucosinolates and isothiocyanates present in M. oleifera for food and therapeutic purposes, as they have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer and hypoglycemic properties.