Comparison between polyphenol profile and bioactive response in blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) genotypes from north Serbia-from raw data to PCA analysis

The aim of this work was to investigate and compare the phenolic profile of 15 wild growing blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) genotypes from the slopes of Fruska Gora mountain in north Serbia. Their effect in inhibiting i) alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase activities and ii) colorectal cancer cell line (HT29) growth was also studied. Blackthorn fruit extracts exhibited high phenolic content being enrich in anthocyanins. Principal component analysis was used to correlate the bioactive response with phenolic composition. It was found that derivatives quercetin and anthocyanin peonidin are the major contributors of the inhibition of carbohydrates hydrolyzing enzymes as well as with the antiproliferative effect of blackthorn. Among all samples, the genotype from Beska locality showed the higher capacity in inhibiting alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase and HT29 cell growth. Because of high anthocyanin content and higher bioactive response, these genotypes could be recommended for the further cultivation and investigation.