Potencialidades Cosmecêuticas e Biotecnológicas dos Extratos Vegetais de Hancornia speciosa Gomes: Fitoquímica, Fotoproteção e Metabolômica Baseada em Espectrometria de Massas e Impressão Digital Química

Abstract

The phytochemical study of plant species from the semi-arid and Recôncavo regions of Bahia has shown the presence of metabolites with relevant pharmacognostic and biotechnological properties. In a scenario of growing demand for sustainable solutions, the application of plant active ingredients in natural photoprotectors becomes a potential alternative. Hancornia speciosa Gomes has high antioxidant potential, although its use as a photoprotective agent remains incipient. This study investigated the chemical profile of extracts and fractions from the leaves and stem of the species using high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS), with subsequent analysis by molecular networks (Feature-based Molecular Networking - GNPS), and evaluated their antioxidant and photoprotective properties. A technological mapping was also conducted (via the PRISMA protocol) that showed the growth of innovations related to antioxidants and natural photoprotectors, although with limited Brazilian participation. The extracts were subjected to in vitro antioxidant tests (DPPH·, FRAP, total phenolic content and beta-carotene degradation), as well as determination of the sun protection factor (SPF) by the Mansur method. Additionally, a factorial design (33-1) was applied to optimize cosmeceutical formulations based on the extracts. The results indicated that the ethanolic extract of the stem (EETC) showed the best antioxidant performance (95.48±1.36% in DPPH·) and the highest reducing capacity in FRAP (45,008±858.30 µM FeSO₄/g). Metabolomic analysis revealed 56 putatively annotated compounds, distributed in 334 clusters and 3,481 nodes, highlighting glycosylated flavonoids, iridoids, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, carbohydrates and amino acids. A correlation was observed between the structure of glycosylated flavonoids and their antioxidant activity. In the antimicrobial screening, EETF inhibited Bacillus cereus (78.44±2.63%) and EETC was more effective against Candida auris (57.24±3.37%), with lower toxicity against Artemia salina. The optimized formulation with EETC obtained SPF higher than 44, demonstrating its high potential for cosmeceutical applications. Therefore, H. speciosa proves to be a promising source of bioactive metabolites, with prospects for the development of natural photoprotectors of high biotechnological value, reinforcing the importance of future studies, especially with the application of nanotechnologies.