Identification of functional biomarkers of Peganum harmala and Hypericum perforatum using PCA-constructed secondary metabolite maps.

Peganum harmala L. (P. harmala), also known as Espand, Harmel, or Syrian rue, and Hypericum perforatum L. (H. perforatum), commonly known as St. John's wort, are two of the widely cultivated industrial crops and used worldwide in antihepatoma-related products. However, their main functional substances are still not clear, thus impeding the efficacy evaluations and quality controls of relative products around the world. In this work, the anti-hepatoma biomarkers of P. harmala and H. perforatum were clarified through the development of principal components analysis (PCA)-HPLC secondary metabolite mapping models. The chemical fingerprints of plant extracts were profiled by HPLC and then mapped to produce the secondary metabolite models using PCA. The models correlated the chemical information with the anti-hepatoma activities of plant extracts, thus indicating the functional inhibitors of P. harmala and H. perforatum against hepatoma cells. The activities of the identified compounds were validated by cytotoxic and apoptotic assays. The major inhibitors of P. harmala and H. perforatum against human hepatoma were determined to be harmine and quercetin, respectively. The IC50 values and the induced apoptotic rate of harmine on HepG2 cells were 20.7 ± 2.8 µM and 46.7 ± 3.5 %, respectively. The IC50 values and the induced apoptotic rate of quercetin on HepG2 cells were 49.5 ± 6.6 µM and 38.7 ± 2.6 %, respectively. In conclusion, the results significantly expanded the understanding of the biochemical foundations of P. harmala and H. perforatum, thus evidently supporting their current applications around the world. Moreover, harmine and quercetin could be used as biomarkers to evaluate the efficacy and quality of related products of industrial crops in therapeutic and health-improving applications.

Optimization of ultrasonic-assisted polysaccharide extraction from Hyperici Perforati Herba using response surface methodology and assessment of its antioxidant activity.

This study performed a comprehensive investigation of Hyperici Perforati Herba polysaccharide (HPHP) regarding the development and optimization of extraction methods, elucidation of structure and characteristics, and determination of antioxidant activities. An ultrasonic-assisted extraction method, which offered advantages in terms of the extraction yield and energy efficiency, was developed by response surface analysis. The following optimum conditions were determined: a crushing degree at 65 mesh, ultrasonic time at 50 min and temperature of 43 °C. Through enzyme-mediated deproteination via the Sevag method, activated carbon depigmentation, and DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-100 column elution, three HPHPs were obtained, and their monosaccharides mainly included mannose, galactose, glucose and arabinose. The molar weights were 8.347, 1.199 and 22.426 kDa, respectively. The HPHP structures were an amorphous aggregate of spherical-like shapes with a rough surface of pores and crevices, which presented characteristic Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of polysaccharides. Their main glucosidic linkage is the α-type configuration. Moreover, HPHPs exhibited strong scavenging activity for DPPH·, ABTS·+, OH· and O2·- radicals; good ferric reducing power; and effective protection against oxidative damage in human cells. Overall, the results of this work underpinned a fundamental understanding of HPHPs, thus providing a potential antioxidant for further research and development.

Glycated peptides obtained from cultured crocodile meat hydrolysates via Maillard reaction and the anti-aging effects on Drosophila in vivo.

With the aging problems increasing, the discovery of anti-aging compounds has become a popular research direction. Accumulation of free radicals and the consequent oxidative stress are the chief culprit of aging. Given this, cultured crocodile meat peptides-Maillard reaction product (CMP-MRP) with remarkable antioxidant activity was obtained via Maillard reaction of cultured crocodile meat hydrolysates and xylose. The antioxidant activity in vitro and anti-aging activity in vivo of CMP-MRP were investigated. Results indicated that the lifespan and the athletic ability of Drosophila were significantly improved after the administration of CMP-MRP in natural aging, H2O2- and paraquat-induced models. Furthermore, the antioxidant enzyme activities of Drosophila treated with CMP-MRP were enhanced while the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PCO) were reduced in three Drosophila models. With the supplement of 5 mg/mL CMP-MRP in natural aging Drosophila model, the maximum lifespan increased from 61 days to 73 days, athletic ability raised by 95.45%, MDA and PCO reduced by 52.72% and 47.43%, respectively. Taken together, CMP-MRP exhibited outstanding antioxidant and anti-aging capacities in Drosophila models, suggesting that CMP-MRP possesses great potential in the health food and biomedicine fields as a food-derived anti-aging agent.