Optimization of liquid fermentation conditions for Coprinus comatus to enhance antioxidant activity.

Coprinus comatus is an edible and medicinal fungus. In this study, the antioxidant activity of the fermentation product of C. comatus was investigated through optimization of fermentation process. The results indicated that the fermentation product of C. comatus had obvious scavenging ability for 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) free radical. The EC50 of the n-butanol extract from the fermentation product on ABTS·+ was 0.65 ± 0.02 mg/mL. On this basis, the liquid fermentation conditions of C. comatus were optimized through single factor and response surface optimization experiments according to the scavenging ability of ABTS·+ to improve the antioxidant capacity of the fermentation product. The results showed that when the 14% of C. comatus was fermented in a culture medium with a C/N ratio of 48:1 for 6 days, the ABTS·+ scavenging ability was the strongest, and the EC50 of n-butanol extract was 0.57 ± 0.01 mg/mL, which was 12.31% higher than the initial activity. This study laid the foundation for the development of C. comatus.

Phenolic Profiles, Antioxidant, and Hypoglycemic Activities of Ribes meyeri Fruits.

Ribes meyeri is a Ribes genus in the Saxifragaceae family, which is used as both medicine and food. However, the active components and biological activities of R. meyeri fruits are still unknown. In this paper, the phenolic components and their antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities of R. meyeri fruits were studied. Firstly, a total of 42 phenolic components of R. meyeri fruits, including 26 anthocyanins, 9 flavonoids, and 7 phenolic acids, were tentatively identified using HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS, and the main four anthocyanins were quantified using UPLC-MS/MS. The result indicated that cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside is the main anthocyanin in the R. meyeri fruits. The anthocyanin fraction of R. meyeri fruits exhibited significant inhibitory activity on α-amylase and α-glucosidase. The anthocyanin fraction from R. meyeri fruits significantly increased the glucose uptake of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. This is the first study of a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the phenolics of R. meyeri fruits.

Dual-target affinity analysis and separation of α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors from Morus alba leaves using a magnetic bifunctional immobilized enzyme system.

Morus alba leaves are a natural product with great antidiabetic potential. However, the therapeutic efficacy of natural products is usually achieved through the interaction of active compounds with specific targets. Among them, active compounds with multi-target therapeutic functions are more effective than single-target enzymes. In this study, a bienzyme system was constructed by co-immobilizing α-amylase and α-glucosidase onto Fe3 O4 for affinity screening of dual-target active components in the complex extract from M. alba leaves. As a result, a potential active compound was selectively screened by ligand fishing, separated by high-speed countercurrent chromatography using a solvent system of ethyl acetate-n-butanol-water (3:2:5, v/v), and identified as rutin. In addition, the result of molecular docking showed that rutin could interact with the active center of α-amylase and α-glucosidase through multiple hydrogen bonds, van der Waals forces, etc. to play an inhibitory role. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the polydopamine magnetically immobilized bienzyme system for dual-target affinity screening of active substances. This study not only reveals the chemical basis of the antidiabetic activity of M. alba leaves from a dual-target perspective, but also promotes the progress of multitarget affinity screening.

Integrative analysis of the pharmaceutical active ingredient and transcriptome of the aerial parts of Glycyrrhiza uralensis under salt stress reveals liquiritin accumulation via ABA-mediated signaling.

The aerial parts of Glycyrrhiza uralensis supply substantial raw material for the extraction of active pharmaceutical ingredients comprehensively utilized in many industries. Our previous study indicated that salt stress increased the content of active ingredients. However, the regulatory mechanism remains unclear. In this study, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) of the aerial parts of G. uralensis treated with 150 mM NaCl for 0, 2, 6, and 12 h was performed to identify the key genes and metabolic pathways regulating pharmacological active component accumulation. The main active component detection showed that liquiritin was the major ingredient and exhibited more than a ten-fold significant increase in the 6 h NaCl treatment. Temporal expression analysis of the obtained 4245 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) obtained by RNA-seq revealed two screened profiles that included the significant up-regulated DEGs (UDEGs) at different treatment points. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis of these UDEGs identified phenylpropanoid metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis as the most significantly enriched pathways in 2 h treated materials. Interestingly, the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway that is related to ABA synthesis was also discovered, and the ABA content was significantly promoted after 6 h NaCl treatment. Following ABA stimulation, the content of liquiritin demonstrated a significant and immediate increase after 2 h treatment, with the corresponding consistent expression of genes involved in the pathways of ABA signal transduction and flavonoid biosynthesis, but not in the pathway of glycyrrhizic acid biosynthesis. Our study concludes that salt stress might promote liquiritin accumulation through the ABA-mediated signaling pathway, and provides effective reference for genetic improvement and comprehensive utilization of G. uralensis.

Rapid qualitative profiling and quantitative analysis of phenolics in Ribes meyeri leaves and their antioxidant and antidiabetic activities by HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS and UHPLC-MS/MS.

Ribes meyeri leaves are used as traditional Kazakh medicine in China. However, no study on the characterization of the phenolic compounds in R. meyeri leaves has been reported, resulting in the lack of quality control measures and poor standardization. This study was conducted to identify the phenolic compounds in R. meyeri leaves and evaluate their antioxidant and antidiabetic activities. A total of 77 phenolics were tentatively identified by liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was applied to simultaneously quantify 12 phenolics in R. meyeri leaves. Rutin, epigallocatechin, isoquercitrin, epicatechin, protocatechuic acid, and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside were abundant in the R. meyeri leaves. The methanol extract and four different extracts enhanced the glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The ethyl acetate extracts showed a total phenolic content of 966.89 ± 3.59 mg gallic acid equivalents/g, a total flavonoid content of 263.58 ± 17.09 mg catechin equivalents/g, and good protein-tyrosine phosphatase-1B inhibitory activities (IC50 : 0.60 ± 0.03 µg/mL). To our knowledge, this work is the first to identify and quantify the major phenolics in R. meyeri leaves.

Anti-aging effects of Ribes meyeri anthocyanins on neural stem cells and aging mice.

Aging is associated with neurological impairment and cognitive decline. Flavonoids are very promising in anti-aging research in mouse models. Ribes meyeri anthocyanins are rich in abundant flavonoids, but their anti-aging biological activities remain unknown. In this study, we prepared an R. meyeri anthocyanin extract and analyzed its effects on neural stem cell (NSC) senescence in vivo and in vitro. We isolated mouse NSCs and used cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), cell cycle, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and immunofluorescence methods to analyze the anti-aging effects of R. meyeri anthocyanins as well as naringenin (Nar), which metabolic analysis revealed as an important flavonoid in R. meyeri anthocyanins. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) methods were also used to investigate Nar-specific mechanisms of anti-aging. After R. meyeri anthocyanin treatment, NSC proliferation accelerated, and NSCs had decreased senescence markers, and reduced P16ink4a expression. R. meyeri anthocyanin treatment also reversed age-dependent neuronal loss in vivo and in vitro. Nar blocked mNSC aging in vitro and improved spatial memory and cognitive abilities in aging mice through downregulation of plasma TNF-α protein. These findings suggest that R. meyeri anthocyanins increase NSC proliferation and improve neurogenesis with aging via Nar-induced reductions in TNF-α protein levels in vivo.

Quantitative iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis of differentially expressed proteins in aging in human and monkey.

BACKGROUND: The underlying physiological mechanisms associated with aging are still complex and unclear. As a very important tissue of human body, the circulatory system also plays a very important role in the process of aging. In this study, we use the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) method to identify differentially expressed proteins in plasma for humans and monkeys between young and aged. Western blotting and behavioral experiment in mice were performed to validate the expression of the candidate protein. RESULTS: Between the young / the old humans and the young / the old monkeys 74 and 69 proteins were found to be differently expressed, respectively. For the human samples, these included 38 up-regulated proteins and 36 down-regulated proteins (a fold change ≥1.3 or ≤ 0.667, p value ≤0.05).For the monkey samples, 51 up-regulated proteins and 18 down-regulated proteins (a fold change ≥1.3 or ≤ 0.667, p value ≤0.05). KEGG pathway analysis revealed that phagosome, focal adhesion, ECM-receptor interaction and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway were the most common pathways involved in aging. We found only IGFBP4 protein that existed in up-regulated proteins in aged both for human and monkey. In addition, the differential expression of IGFBP4 was validated by western blot analysis and IGFBP4 treatment mimicked aging-related cognitive dysfunction in mice. CONCLUSIONS: This first, the integrated proteomics for the plasma protein of human and monkey reveal one protein-IGFBP4, which was validated by western blotting and behavioral analysis can promote the process of aging. And, iTRAQ analysis showed that proteolytic systems, and inflammatory responses plays an important role in the process of aging. These findings provide a basis for better understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in aging.

Flavonoid biosynthesis controls fiber color in naturally colored cotton.

The existence of only natural brown and green cotton fibers (BCF and GCF, respectively), as well as poor fiber quality, limits the use of naturally colored cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). A better understanding of fiber pigment regulation is needed to surmount these obstacles. In this work, transcriptome analysis and quantitative reverse transcription PCR revealed that 13 and 9 phenylpropanoid (metabolic) pathway genes were enriched during pigment synthesis, while the differential expression of phenylpropanoid (metabolic) and flavonoid metabolic pathway genes occurred among BCF, GCF, and white cotton fibers (WCF). Silencing the chalcone flavanone isomerase gene in a BCF line resulted in three fiber phenotypes among offspring of the RNAi lines: BCF, almost WCF, and GCF. The lines with almost WCF suppressed chalcone flavanone isomerase, while the lines with GCF highly expressed the glucosyl transferase (3GT) gene. Overexpression of the Gh3GT or Arabidopsis thaliana 3GT gene in BCF lines resulted in GCF. Additionally, the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid metabolites of BCF and GCF were significantly higher than those of WCF as assessed by a metabolomics analysis. Thus, the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway controls both brown and green pigmentation processes. Like natural colored fibers, the transgenic colored fibers were weaker and shorter than WCF. This study shows the potential of flavonoid pathway modifications to alter cotton fibers' color and quality.

Rapid Identification of Flavonoid Constituents Directly from PTP1B Inhibitive Extract of Raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) Leaves by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS-MS.

Many potential health benefits of raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) leaves were attributed to polyphenolic compounds, especially flavonoids. In this study, the methanol extract of R. idaeus leaves showed significant protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP1B) inhibitory activity with IC50 value of 3.41 ± 0.01 µg mL(-1) Meanwhile, a rapid and reliable method, employed high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry, was established for structure identification of flavonoids from PTP1B inhibitive extract of R. idaeus leaves using accurate mass measurement and characteristic fragmentation patterns. A total of 16 flavonoids, including 4 quercetin derivatives, 2 luteolin derivatives, 8 kaempferol derivatives and 2 isorhamnetin derivatives, were identified. Compounds 3: and 4: , Compounds 6: and 7: and Compounds 15: and 16: were isomers with different aglycones and different saccharides. Compounds 8: , 9: and 10: were isomers with the same aglycone and the same saccharide but different substituent positions. Compounds 11: and 12: were isomers with the same aglycone but different saccharides. Compounds 2: , 8: , 9: and 10: possessed the same substituent saccharide of glycuronic acid. Most of them were reported inR. idaeus for the first time.

Effects of glycoalkaloids from Solanum plants on cucumber root growth.

The phytotoxic effect of four glycoalkaloids and two 6-O-sulfated glycoalkaloid derivatives were evaluated by testing their inhibition of cucumber root growth. The bioassays were performed using both compounds singly and in equimolar mixtures, respectively. Cucumber root growth was reduced by chaconine (C), solanine (S), solamargine (SM) and solasonine (SS) with IC(50) values of 260 (C), 380 (S), 530 (SM), and 610 microM (SS). The inhibitory effect was concentration-dependent. 6-O-sulfated chaconine and 6-O-sulfated solamargine had no inhibitory effects, which indicated that the carbohydrate moieties play an important role in inhibiting cucumber root growth. The equimolar mixtures of paired glycoalkaloids, both chaconine/solanine and solamargine/solasonine, produced synergistic effects on inhibition of cucumber root growth. By contrast, mixtures of unpaired glycoalkaloids from different plants had no obviously synergistic effects. The growth inhibited plant roots lacked hairs, which implied that inhibition was perhaps at the level of root hair growth.

Separation and Purification of Flavonoids from Black Currant Leaves by High-Speed Countercurrent Chromatography and Preparative HPLC.

High-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) has been successfully used for the preparative isolation of flavonoids from the ethyl acetate extracts of black currant leaves. The HSCCC separation was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane/EtOAc/MeOH/H(2)O (1:10:1:10, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. When the flow rate was increased from 1.0 to 3.0 mL/min, the retention of stationary phase decreased from 60.3% to 39.7% resulting in loss of peak resolution, while the stationary phase retention is stable with an increase in sample size from 25 to 200 mg. From 100 mg of the crude sample HSCCC separation yielded 4.0 mg of kaempferol 3-O-galactoside, 6.0 mg of kaempferol 3-O-glucoside and 9.0 mg of fraction I containing a mixture of hyperoside and isoquercitrin. Then, from 18 mg of fraction I, 3.0 mg of hyperoside and 11.0 mg isoquercitrin were separated by preparative HPLC by successive sample injection at every 100 min interval. Chemical structures of all these compounds were confirmed by MS and NMR.

One-step separation and purification of rupestonic acid and chrysosptertin B from Artemisia rupestris L. by high-speed counter-current chromatography.

INTRODUCTION: Artemisia rupestris L. is a well-known traditional Chinese medicinal plant in Xinjiang. Rupestonic acid is the main active ingredient of A. rupestris L., and has been chosen as a 'marker compound' for the chemical evaluation or quality control of A. rupestris L. and its products. Although HSCCC separation method was developed before, the separation was performed with two steps using the same solvent system, which were time-consuming and waste of the solvents. OBJECTIVE: To develop a simple HSCCC method for the separation and purification of rupestonic acid in a single run. METHODOLOGY: The measurement of partition coefficient (K) was introduced to select the two-phase solvent system. The simple HSCCC method was established according to the selected solvent system for separation and purification of rupestonic acid. The purity of target compound was test by HPLC and the structure was identified by MS, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR. RESULTS: A total of 72.3 mg of rupestonic acid and 53.5 mg of chrysosptertin B with over 95% purity were yielded from 500 mg extracts of Artemisia rupestris L. in one-step separation. CONCLUSION: The rupestonic acid was separated in a single run by HSCCC.

Comparative Study on Separation and Purification of Isoflavones from the Seeds and Sprouts of Chickpea by HSCCC.

Chickpea is known as a plant that is rich in protein, carbohydrates, and nutrition, and its seeds and sprouts have been processed into various health foods. In the present study, four isoflavones were purified from the seeds and sprouts of chickpea by high speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) using two biphasic solvent systems composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (5:5:5:5, v/v) and ethyl acetate-water (1:1 v/v). The results indicated that 14.2 mg of formononetin, 15.7 mg of biochanin A, 9.1 mg of ononin, 11.3 mg of biochanin A-7-O-ß-D-glucoside were obtained from 150 mg of sprout extracts with the purity of 92.26%, 95.86%, 95.32%, and 96.56%, respectively. Compared with the sprouts, separation of seed extracts yielded less amounts of biochanin A-7-O-ß-D-glucoside and biochanin A with lower purity. The results indicate that four main isoflavones in chickpea, i.e., isoflavones, formononetin, biochanin A, ononin, and biochanin A-7-O-ß-D-glucoside, are substantially increased by biosynthesis during the seed germination.

Separation and Purification of Phenolic Acids and Myricetin from Black Currant by High Speed Countercurrent Chromatography.

Black currant is an important material for food industry, but little research has been reported on the isolation of phenolic acids because of their low content. In present study, high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) has been successfully used for the preparative isolation of the minor phenolic compounds from the ethyl acetate extracts of black currant fruit. The HSCCC separation was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane/EtOAc/MeOH/H(2)O (5:15:4:7 v/v) at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. From 500 mg crude sample 0.8 mg of protocatechuic acid, 1.0 mg of caffeic acid, 0.5 mg of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 2.5 mg of myricetin were purified by one-step HSCCC operation,. Their chemical structures were confirmed by MS and NMR.