Chrysanthemum indicum suppresses adipogenesis by inhibiting mitotic clonal expansion in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.

Herbs have been of interest to treat diseases, including obesity, owing to their various bioactive constituents that exhibit therapeutic and prophylactic properties. The present study examined the anti-adipogenic effects and mechanisms of Chrysanthemum indicum aqueous extract (CAE) in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. CAE comprises 1,3-dicaffeoylquinic acid, chlorogenic acid, kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, caffeic acid, and apigenin, which were corresponded with previous reports. CAE inhibited the accumulation of lipid droplets and significantly alleviated the expression of lipogenesis- and adipogenesis-associated biomarkers. Treatment with CAE inhibited the mitotic clonal expansion (MCE), corroborated by cell cycle arrest at the G0 /G1 phase, and mitigated the expression of cell cycle progression-associated proteins and in addition to phosphorylation of MCE-promoting transcription factors. Moreover, CAE downregulated the activation of Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 signaling pathways. In summary, CAE facilitates adipogenic inhibition during the early phase of differentiation, especially MCE, and its phenolic compounds can contribute to its anti-obesogenic properties. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Chrysanthemum indicum has been mainly used as traditional herbal tea and drinks. Chrysanthemum indicum aqueous extract (CAE) inhibits adipogenesis by suppressing mitotic clonal expansion during the early phase of differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. 1,3-Dicaffeoylquinic acid, chlorogenic acid, kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, caffeic acid, and apigenin were detected in CAE. Based on these findings, CAE can be used as nutraceutical agents for prevention and treatment of obesity.

Inula britannica fermented with probiotic Weissella cibaria D30 exhibited anti-inflammatory effect and increased viability in RAW 264.7 cells.

The objective of this study was to increase the bioavailability of Inula britannica (IB) through fermentation with probiotic Weissella cibaria D30, and to evaluate the chemical composition, viability, and anti-inflammatory effect of fermented I. britannica (FIB). IB was fermented with W. cibaria D30 at 37 °C for 24 h. FIB increased total phenolic content and decreased total flavonoid content of IB. 1-O-acetylbritannilactone and ergolide production, which are associated with the viability, increased from 1.38 to 4.13 µg/mg, and decreased from 5.24 to 0.94 µg/mg, in the control and FIB, respectively. In addition, the cell viability of RAW264.7 cells increased when pretreated with 400 µg/mL FIB. FIB inhibited the production of nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokines by inhibiting NF-κB and MAPKs pathways. Therefore, FIB with W. cibaria D30 reduced the toxicity and increased the anti-inflammatory properties. These results indicate that FIB is a potential beneficial bioactive agent for functional foods.

Effects of partial replacement of dietary fish meal by bioprocessed plant protein concentrates on growth performance, hematology, nutrient digestibility and digestive enzyme activities in juvenile Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei.

BACKGROUND: Bioprocessing of plant feedstuff can be a novel approach for reducing the overwhelming dependence on fish meal in aquaculture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei fed solid-state fermented protein concentrates in order to replace fish meal in the diet. RESULTS: In the first trial, a group of 15 shrimp (average 3.88 g) were randomly distributed into aquaria in triplicate according to the experimental diets. Ten isonitrogenous (400 g kg-1 CP) and isolipidic (90 g kg-1 CL) diets were formulated to contain high-protein fish meal (HFM) and low-protein fish meal (LFM), and four types of bioprocessed protein concentrates (BPCs) as a replacement of fish meal (BPC-A, -B, -C and -D) each at 30% and 50% FM replacement levels. BPC-A was a solid-state fermented mixture of soybean and corn gluten meals; BPC-B was pre-treated acid-hydrolyzed BPC-A; BPC-C and BPC-D were BPC-A + 2% shrimp soluble extract (SSE) and BPC-B + 2% SSE, respectively. After 8 weeks, shrimp fed the HFM, BPC-B, BPC-C and BPC-D diets showed significantly higher growth performance at 30% FM replacement than those of shrimp fed the BPC diets at 50% FM replacement. Interestingly, shrimp fed the BPC-D diet could replace up to 50% FM replacement. In the second trial, the results show that apparent digestibility coefficients of feeds and apparent digestibility coefficients of ingredients for crude protein were significantly higher in fish fed the BPC-B, BPC-C and BPC-D diets. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated successful partial replacement of high-protein fish meal using high-quality fermented protein concentrates from plant sources. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Investigation of Brassica juncea, Forsythia suspensa, and Inula britannica: phytochemical properties, antiviral effects, and safety.

BACKGROUND: General antiviral agents such as oseltamivir are associated with certain adverse effects and the emergence of resistance. This study investigated the phytochemical properties, antiviral activities, and safety of three herbs used in traditional Korean medicine. METHODS: Extracts of three medicinal herbs (Brassica juncea, Forsythia suspensa, and Inula britannica) were prepared using ethanol or water. The total phenolic, flavonoid, and saponin content, condensed tannin content, and reducing sugar content of the herb extracts were determined via phytochemical screening. Tandem mass analysis was performed using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)-electrospray ionization (ESI)-Q/Orbitrap instrument. Virus titrations were determined via tissue culture infective dose (TCID50) and cytotoxicity assays. Hemolysis and hepatotoxicity were measured to determine safety. RESULTS: Among the three medicinal herbs, F. suspensa showed the highest concentration of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and saponins. The number of phytochemical compounds detected via tandem mass analysis of B. juncea, F. suspensa, and I. britannica was 5 (including sinigrin, m/z [M-H] = 358.02), 14 (including forsythoside A, m/z [M-H] = 623.19), and 18 (including chlorogenic acid, m/z [M-H] = 353.20), respectively. The antiviral effects of the B. juncea extracts (ethanol and water) and I. britannica extract (ethanol) were further investigated. The ethanol extract of B. juncea showed a 3 Log TCID50/25 µL virus titration reduction and the water extract showed a selectivity index of 13.668 against infected influenza H1N1 virus A/NWS/33. The B. juncea extracts did not show hemolysis activities and hepatotoxicity (< 20%). The ethanol extract of I. britannica showed the most effective virus titration decrease, whereas its hemolytic and hepatotoxicity values were the most significantly different compared to the control. Despite the high concentration of phytochemicals detected in F. suspensa, the extract showed approximately 1 Log TCID50/25 µL at the highest concentration. CONCLUSION: B. juncea may show antiviral effects against H1N1 in a host. In addition, B. juncea may also show decreased disadvantages compared to other antiviral agents.

Effects of Dietary Inclusion of Astaxanthin on Growth, Muscle Pigmentation and Antioxidant Capacity of Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

This study was designed to investigate the effects of dietary astaxanthin levels on growth performance, feed utilization, muscle pigmentation, and antioxidant capacity in juvenile rainbow trout. Four experimental diets were formulated to contain 0, 50, 75, and 100 mg/kg astaxanthin (designed as AX0, AX50, AX75, and AX100). Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of fish (18.5 g/fish) for 10 weeks. Growth performance and muscle composition of fish were not affected by dietary astaxanthin levels. Total carotenoid concentration in the muscle of fish fed the AX50 diet was higher than that of fish fed the AX0 diet, but no significant differences were observed between these fish and those fed the AX75 and AX100 diets. Muscle astaxanthin content increased with increased astaxanthin in the diet. Deposition of astaxanthin in the flesh resulted in a decrease in lightness and an increase in redness and yellowness. The fillets from trout fed the AX75 diet had significantly lower lightness than trout fed the AX50 and AX100 diets. Fish fed the AX50 and AX75 diets showed significantly lower catalase activity than those fed the control diet. Total antioxidant status increased significantly in all astaxanthin supplemented groups when compared to the control group. Superoxide dismutase activity was significantly decreased in fish fed the AX50 diet compared to fish fed the AX0 diet. These findings suggest that while fillet pigmentation increased with increasing dietary astaxanthin concentration, indices of fish antioxidant capacity may not be affected in a dose dependent manner.

Evaluation of glucosidases of Aspergillus niger strain comparing with other glucosidases in transformation of ginsenoside Rb1 to ginsenosides Rg3.

The transformation of ginsenoside Rb1 into a specific minor ginsenoside using Aspergillus niger KCCM 11239, as well as the identification of the transformed products and the pathway via thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography were evaluated to develop a new biologically active material. The conversion of ginsenoside Rb1 generated Rd, Rg3, Rh2, and compound K although the reaction rates were low due to the low concentration. In enzymatic conversion, all of the ginsenoside Rb1 was converted to ginsenoside Rd and ginsenoside Rg3 after 24 h of incubation. The crude enzyme (ß-glucosidase) from A. niger KCCM 11239 hydrolyzed the ß-(1→6)-glucosidic linkage at the C-20 of ginsenoside Rb1 to generate ginsenoside Rd and ginsenoside Rg3. Our experimental demonstration showing that A. niger KCCM 11239 produces the ginsenoside-hydrolyzing ß-glucosidase reflects the feasibility of developing a specific bioconversion process to obtain active minor ginsenosides.

Purification and characterization of a ginsenoside Rb(1)-hydrolyzing ß-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger KCCM 11239.

Rb(1)-hydrolyzing ß-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger KCCM 11239 was studied to develop a bioconversion process for minor ginsenosides. The specific activity of the purified enzyme was 46.5 times greater than that of the crude enzyme. The molecular weight of the native enzyme was estimated to be approximately 123 kDa. The optimal pH of the purified enzyme was pH 4.0, and the enzyme proved highly stable over a pH range of 5.0-10.0. The optimal temperature was 70 °C, and the enzyme became unstable at temperatures above 60 °C. The enzyme was inhibited by Cu(2+), Mg(2+), Co(2+), and acetic acid (10 mM). In the specificity tests, the enzyme was found to be active against ginsenoside Rb(1), but showed very low levels of activity against Rb(2), Rc, Rd, Re, and Rg(1). The enzyme hydrolyzed the 20-C,ß-(1→6)-glucoside of ginsenoside Rb(1) to generate ginsenoside Rd and Rg(3), and hydrolyzed 3-C,ß-(1→2)-glucoside to generate F(2). The properties of the enzyme indicate that it could be a useful tool in biotransformation applications in the ginseng industry, as well as in the development of novel drug compounds.

Optimization of the enzymatic production of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg(3) from white ginseng extract using response surface methodology.

The optimization of the conversion of ginseng saponin glycosides to 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg(3) by enzymatic transformation was carried out using response surface methodology (RSM) based on a 2(3) factorial central composite design. The production of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg(3) using several commercial enzymes indicated that the enzyme Cellulase-12T was the most efficient at producing 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg(3). To optimize the enzymatic production of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg(3), response surface methodology was applied to determine the ideal amount of white ginseng extract, Cellulase-12T and reaction time. These results indicate that white ginseng extract (1.67%) treated with Celluase-12T (3.67%) for 72 hours had 4 times the quantity of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg(3) compared to commercial white ginseng extract.