Isolation of unique fluorinated coumarins from new mexico green chile seeds: a novel green extraction approach and bioevaluation against oxidative stress disorders

What if the seeds you throw away could hold the secret to fighting oxidative stress, cancer, and inflammation? New Mexico Green Chile seeds, often discarded as waste, are hiding rare fluorinated coumarins with potent biological activity.

In the arid fields of the Southwestern United States, the New Mexico Green Chile pepper is a culinary icon. But its seeds, typically discarded as waste, are emerging as a treasure trove of bioactive compounds. Researchers have now isolated four unique fluorinated coumarins, named N1–N4, from these seeds using a sustainable kinetic thermomagnetic extraction method—a green technique optimized across five variables, including solvent, time, temperature, rotation, and magnetic field, generating 243 extracts in the process.

Among the purified compounds, N2 stood out. In SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, it significantly reduced reactive oxygen species, showcasing strong antioxidant effects. It also displayed potent anticancer activity against HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines with relatively low IC50 values. All isolated coumarins selectively inhibited COX-2 over COX-1, hinting at anti-inflammatory potential with a reduced gastrointestinal risk profile.

Beyond these, N2 showed moderate inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase, enzymes linked to diabetes, suggesting possible antidiabetic benefits. This study not only highlights chile seeds as a sustainable source of therapeutic leads but also introduces an eco-friendly extraction method for natural product research. The authors call for further preclinical evaluation to explore these compounds as potential pharmaceutical or nutraceutical candidates.

Key Points

• Four rare fluorinated coumarins isolated from waste chile seeds
• N2 shows antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic effects
• Green thermomagnetic extraction optimized across five variables