Linking fatty acid composition to enzyme inhibition supported by molecular docking, alongside multifunctional bioactivities, of avocado, Indian mustard, and passion fruit seed oils.

Authors

Florinda Fratianni, Giuseppe Amato, Maria Neve Ombra, Francesca Coppola, Beatrice De Giulio, Raffaele Coppola, Gokhan Zengin, Jesus Fernando Ayala Zavala, Laura De Martino, Vincenzo De Feo, Filomena Nazzaro

Published in

Frontiers in nutrition. Volume 13. Pages 1874793. Epub Jul 16, 2026.

Abstract

The fatty acid composition and multifunctional biological activities of seed oils from Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. (Indian mustard), Passiflora edulis Sims (passion fruit), and Persea americana Mill. (avocado) were investigated. GC-MS analysis revealed distinct lipid profiles among the oils.
Avocado seed oil was dominated by oleic acid (92.37%), whereas Indian mustard oil contained high levels of erucic acid (48.23%) and α-linolenic acid (18.29%). Passion fruit seed oil was characterized by linoleic acid (54.03%), elaidic acid (20.04%), and stearic acid (15.85%). The unsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio was highest in avocado oil (18.57), followed by Indian mustard (13.93) and passion fruit oil (3.81). Biological assays revealed differentiated functional properties. Passion fruit oil exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity, with a DPPH IC₅₀ of 2.55 μg/mL and showed the highest butyrylcholinesterase inhibition (63.3%). Indian mustard oil demonstrated the greatest anti-arthritic activity (IC₅₀ = 6.61 μg) and a high ABTS antioxidant capacity (5.18 μmol TE/g). Avocado oil displayed notable acetylcholinesterase inhibition (58.8%) and selective tyrosinase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 13.95 μg). Antibiofilm assays showed strain- and stage-dependent effects, with avocado oil producing a consistent inhibition of mature biofilm structure (77.80% against Listeria monocytogenes, and 68.76% against Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and inhibitory activity against microbial sessile cells, reaching 47.93% against P. aeruginosa and 53.63% against Escherichia coli. All three oils positively influenced the growth of selected probiotic strains. Molecular docking, correlation analysis, and principal component analysis highlighted distinct relationships between fatty acid composition and biological activities, suggesting complementary functional profiles and application- specific potential. This study provides the first comparative evaluation of the fatty acid composition, enzyme inhibitory properties, antibiofilm activity, and probiotic-supporting effects of these three seed oils, highlighting their potential as multifunctional ingredients for food, nutraceutical, cosmetic, and health-related applications.

PMID:
42534829
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 13 Oct 2026.

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