Study on the quality difference of Cyperus rotundus before and after vinegar processing based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry and molecular network combined with color parameters

Diverse effects of a Cyperus rotundus extract on glucose uptake in myotubes and adipocytes and its suppression on adipocyte maturation

Cyperus rotundus rhizomes have been used in longevity remedies in Thailand for nourishing good health, which led us to investigate the effect on energy homeostasis, especially glucose utilization in myotubes and adipocytes, and on inhibition of lipogenesis in adipocytes. The results showed that an ethyl acetate extract of C. rotundus rhizomes (ECR) containing 1.61%w/w piceatannol, with a half-maximal concentration of 17.76 ± 0.03 μg/mL in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, caused upregulation and cell-membrane translocation of glucose transporters GLUT4 and 1 in L6 myotubes but downregulation and cytoplasmic localization of GLUT4 expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and was related to the p-Akt/Akt ratio in both cells, especially at 100 μg/mL. Moreover, ECR (25-100 μg/mL) significantly inhibited lipid accumulation via Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK), Acetyl CoA Carboxylase (ACC), and Glycogen Synthase Kinase (GSK) pathways. Its immunoblot showed increased expression of p-AMPKα/AMPKα and p-ACC/ACC but decreased expression of p-Akt/Akt and p-GSK3β/GSK3β in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Moreover, the decreased expression of the adipogenic effectors, perilipin1 and lipoprotein lipase, in ECR-incubated adipocytes (50 and 100 μg/mL) indicated reduced de novo lipogenesis. Our study elucidated mechanisms of C. rotundus that help attenuate glucose tolerance in skeletal muscle and inhibit lipid droplet accumulation in adipose tissue.

Quality difference analysis of raw and vinegar-processed products of Qingpi based on color and component correlation

The dried young fruit of Citrus reticulata Blanco, known as Qingpi, is commonly used in clinic both with its raw and vinegar-processed products. However, the distinctions in quality between these two products remain unclear, and the methods for identification are considerably intricate. In this study, an electronic eye technique was applied to assess the overall color of Qingpi products before and after processing. The luminosity (L*) and yellow-blue (b*) values of Qingpi decreased after vinegar processing, while red-green (a*) values increased. The discriminant function models based on color parameters were established to effectively classify the two products. The chemical compositions of different Qingpi products were characterized using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography fingerprint technology, and 10 distinct components were considered as potential chemical markers. The correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between chromatic values and chemical components. In conclusion, the results of this study suggested that chromaticity can be effectively considered as a valuable instrument for the prediction of component content in both raw and vinegar-processed Qingpi products. This study will provide new ideas and methods for identification and quality evaluation of Qingpi processed products, as well as provide a reference for standardizing traditional Chinese medicine processing techniques.

Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry combined with network pharmacology for analysis of potential quality markers of three processed products of Qingpi

Qingpi, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine for qi-regulating and commonly processed into three types of pieces, has been widely used in the clinical application of liver disease for thousands of years. In this study, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry approach along with multivariate statistical analysis was developed to assess and characterize the differentiations of three processed products and confirm the potential quality markers of Qingpi. In addition, a systematic analysis combined with network pharmacology and molecular docking was performed to clarify the potential mechanism of Qingpi for the treatment of liver disease. As a result, 18 components were identified and an integrated network of Qingpi-Components-Target-Pathway-Liver Disease was constructed. Eight compounds were finally screened out as the potential quality markers acting on ten main targets and pathways of liver disease. Molecular docking analysis results indicated that the quality markers had a good binding activity with the targets. Overall, this work preliminarily identified the potential quality markers of three processed products of Qingpi, and predicted its targets in the prevention and treatment of liver disease, which can provide supporting information for further study of the pharmacodynamic substances and mechanisms of Qingpi.