Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities in immature and mature wheat kernels

• Antioxidant capacity and antiproliferative effects of immature wheat were investigated.
• Immature wheat contained higher phenolic and flavonoid content than mature wheat.
• Immature wheat showed higher antioxidant capacity than mature wheat.
• Immature wheat showed significant antiproliferative activity on HT-29 and HeLa.
• Steamed immature wheat was lower in antioxidant capacity and antiproliferative activity than immature wheat.

The purpose of this study was to investigate health benefit-related parameters such as antioxidant contents and antiproliferative activities in immature wheat compared to mature wheat. Immature and mature wheats were harvested 35 and 45 days after the heading date, respectively; steamed immature wheat was also tested. The phenolic, flavonoid and vitamin E contents of immature and steamed immature wheat were compared with those of mature wheat. Additionally, antiproliferative activities against colon cancer cells (HT-29 and Caco-2) and cervical cancer cells (HeLa) were evaluated in three samples. The immature wheat contained higher phenolic and flavonoid contents but lower vitamin E contents than mature wheat. The antioxidant capacity, as measured by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), was higher in immature wheat than in other samples. In the antiproliferation assays, immature wheat had the lowest EC50 values in HT-29 (39.3 mg/mL) and HeLa (31.4 mg/mL) cells, indicating stronger antiproliferative activity.