# Dietary Starch–Extract Complexes from Cerrado Fruits Modulate Oxidative Stress in Mononuclear Cells from Normoglycemic and Diabetic Individuals

## TL;DR

This study explores how starch-extract complexes from Cerrado fruits affect oxidative stress in cells from healthy and diabetic individuals.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel dietary complex from Cerrado fruits that modulates oxidative stress in human mononuclear cells.

## Key findings

- The complexes showed high antioxidant capacity and biocompatibility with over 97% cell viability.
- Normoglycemic cells exhibited improved redox balance, while diabetic cells showed increased oxidative stress.
- The complexes modulated redox responses under E. coli challenge through antioxidant mechanisms.

## Abstract

Cerrado fruits are rich sources of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. However, it remains unclear whether the complexes of non-conventional starch with extracts from these fruits can modulate oxidative stress in human cells, under diabetic conditions. This study evaluated the effects of lobeira (Solanum lycocarpum) starch complexed with hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts of mirindiba (Buchenavia tomentosa) on redox parameters in mononuclear cells from normoglycemic and diabetic individuals. The extracts showed high phenolic (1362.70 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g) and carotenoid content (7.07 mg β-carotene/100 g) and strong antioxidant capacity (58.42–140.19 μmol Trolox/g by FRAP and DPPH). Structural analyses (Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)) confirmed complexation via hydrogen bonding and inclusion-type interactions, which partially modified the crystalline order of starch. The complexes exhibited high biocompatibility (>97% cell viability) and adaptively modulated oxidative and antioxidant responses under different metabolic and infectious conditions. Normoglycemic cells showed enhanced redox balance, with moderate superoxide generation and higher SOD activity, while cells from diabetic individuals displayed elevated oxidative stress and reduced SOD induction upon treatment. Under the E. coli challenge, the complexes modulated redox equilibrium through compensatory antioxidant responses. These findings position lobeira starch–mirindiba extract complexes as promising dietary immunomodulators against oxidative stress in metabolic and infectious contexts.