Prebiotic and Chemopreventive Potential of Digested Cooked Huitlacoche (Ustilago maydis) in Human HT-29 Colon Cancer Cells.

Huitlacoche (Ustilago maydis) is a popular and widely consumed edible fungus that infects corn, inducing gall formation rich in phenolic compounds. During consumption, huitlacoche-based phenolic compounds are affected by gastrointestinal conditions, thereby altering their bioaccessibility and, in turn, their prebiotic and chemopreventive potential. This study investigated the in vitro chemopreventive effects of cooked huitlacoche on human colon cancer cells (HT-29) and its prebiotic potential. Cooked huitlacoche underwent in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, followed by colonic fermentation, to evaluate the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity at each stage. The prebiotic potential was monitored by Lactobacillus gasseri growth in the presence of the nondigestible fraction of huitlacoche (NDF-H). Additionally, the chemopreventive effect of the colonic fermentation extract of huitlacoche (FE-H) was evaluated on HT-29 colon cancer cells. The cooking process increased (p < 0.05) total dietary fiber (+9.60%) while reducing other micronutrients. The concentrations of selected phenolic compounds increase during the gastric phase (benzoic acid: 265-fold; and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid: 19.13-fold). During in vitro human-gut colonic fermentation, acetic, propionic, and butyric acids were detected (up to 3.06-7.08 mmol/L). FE-H induced cytotoxic effects in HT-29 cells (LC₅₀: 33.34% v/v) due to necrosis and caspase-3/7 activation, without being cytotoxic in human non-tumoral Hs 738 St./int. Moreover, digested huitlacoche promoted L. gasseri growth. Overall, cooked huitlacoche components are bioaccessible during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and suggest chemopreventive and prebiotic potential. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The consumption of cooked huitlacoche may have beneficial effects, supporting its classification as a functional food with chemopreventive and prebiotic properties. These properties stem from the dietary fiber content and antioxidant compounds.

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