The purpose of this study was to determine the capsaicinoid and antioxidant compounds and to evaluate the biological activity of 40 different pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) breeding lines. Capsaicinoid and ascorbic acid content were measured with HPLC. Total polyphenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity were measured with spectrophotometric methods. The antiproliferative qualities of the samples against human breast tumor cells (MCF7) were assessed with a MTT assay. The nitric oxide content in the culture media was measured to evaluate the anti-inflammatory qualities of the samples using Raw264.7 macrophages. The capsaicinoid, ascorbic acid, polyphenolic and flavonoid content of the 40 pepper breeding lines were 0.1∼204.2 mg/100 g (dry weight basis, DWB), 279.1∼1695.5 mg/g (DWB), 2.6∼10.2 mg/g (DWB), and 1.4∼5.7 mg/g (DWB), respectively. The highest antioxidant, antiproliferative, and anti-inflammatory qualities were found in breeding line numbers 2500, 3201, and 3232, respectively. This study provides basic information useful to plant breeders and biotechnologists who are planning to breed pepper genotypes with high phytochemical content.

Keywords: pepper, breeding line, capsaicinoid, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory activity