Antihepatotoxic zeaxanthins from the fruits ofLycium chinense

The Quality Assessment of Commercial Lycium Berries Using LC-ESI-MS/MS and Chemometrics

Lycium (also known as Goji berry) is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with claimed benefits, including eye and liver protection, immune system fortification and blood glucose control. The commercially available product comes from either the L. barbarum or L. chinense species, with the former dominating the marketplace due to its better taste profile. The main objective of this study was to develop a validated LC-ESI-MS/MS method to quantify multiple key bio-active analytes in commercially available Lycium berries and to qualitatively assess these samples using a principal component analysis (PCA). A LC-ESI-MS/MS method for the quantitation of seven analytes selected using the Herbal Chemical Marker Ranking System (Herb MaRS) was developed. The Herb MaRS ranking system considered bioavailability, bioactivity and physiological action of each target analyte, its intended use and the commercial availability of an analytical standard. After method optimization combining high resolving power with selective detection, seven analytes were quantified and the Lycium samples were quantitatively profiled. Chromatographic spectra were also obtained using longer run-time LC-UV and GC-MS methods in order to qualitatively assess the samples using a principal component analysis (PCA). The result of the method validation procedure was a 15.5 min LC-ESI-MS/MS method developed for the quantification of seven analytes in commercial Lycium samples. Wide variation in analyte concentration was observed with the following results (analyte range in mg/g): rutin, 16.1-49.2; narcissin, 0.37-1.65; nictoflorin, 0.26-0.78; coumaric acid, 6.84-12.2; scopoletin, 0.33-2.61; caffeic acid, 0.08-0.32; chlorogenic acid, 1.1-9.12. The quantitative results for the L. barbarum and L. chinense species samples indicate that they cannot be differentiated based on the bio-actives tested. A qualitative assessment using PCA generated from un-targeted LC-UV and GC-MS phytochemical spectra led to the same conclusion. The un-targeted quantitative and qualitative phytochemical profiling indicates that commercial L. barbarum and L. chinense cannot be distinguished using chemical analytical methods. Genetic fingerprinting and pharmacological testing may be needed to ensure the efficacy of commercial Lycium in order to validate label claims.

Zeaxanthin Dipalmitate in the Treatment of Liver Disease

Goji berry, Lycium barbarum, has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), but its properties have not been studied until recently. The fruit is a major source of zeaxanthin dipalmitate (ZD), a xanthophyll carotenoid shown to benefit the liver. Liver disease is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world. Some conditions, such as chronic hepatitis B virus, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, remain incurable. Managing them can constitute an economic burden for patients and healthcare systems. Hence, development of more effective pharmacological drugs is warranted. Studies have shown the hepatoprotective, antifibrotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, antitumor, and chemopreventive properties of ZD. These findings suggest that ZD-based drugs could hold promise for many liver disorders. In this paper, we reviewed the current literature regarding the therapeutic effects of ZD in the treatment of liver disease.

Supercritical fluid extract of Lycium chinense Miller root inhibition of melanin production and its potential mechanisms of action

Background

The mode of action of Lycium chinense Miller root extract in skin care has never been explored. In the present study, Lycium chinense Miller root was extracted by the supercritical fluid CO₂ extraction method.

Methods

In the present study, the components of the root extract were analyzed by HPLC. The effects of the extract on tyrosinase activity and melanin content were determined spectrophotometrically; the expression of melanogenesis-related proteins was determined by Western blotting; the possible signaling pathways involved in the root extract-mediated depigmentation were also investigated using specific inhibitors.

Results

The results revealed that the SFE of Lycium chinense Miller root (2.37-7.11 mg/mL) effectively suppressed intracellular tyrosinase activity and decreased the melanin content in B16F10 cells. The root extract also effectively decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Furthermore, the root extract decreased the expression of melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1) and then inhibited melanogenesis in B16F10 cells. The root extract also showed antioxidant capacities and depleted cellular ROS.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that the SFE of Lycium chinense Miller root inhibited melanogenesis in B16F10 cells by down-regulation of both mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathways or through its antioxidant properties.

Zeaxanthin dipalmitate therapeutically improves hepatic functions in an alcoholic fatty liver disease model through modulating MAPK pathway

In the current study, the therapeutic effects of zeaxanthin dipalmitate (ZD) on a rat alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) model were evaluated. After-treatment with ZD from the 5th week to the 10th week in a 10-week ethanol intragastric administration in rats significantly alleviated the typical AFLD symptoms, including reduction in rat body weight, accumulation of hepatic fat droplets, occurrence of oxidative stress, inflammation, chemoattractive responses and hepatic apoptosis in the liver. The reduction of liver function abnormalities by ZD was partly through lower expression level of cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), diminished activity of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) through the restoration of its inhibitor kappa B alpha (IκBα), and the modulation of MAPK pathways including p38 MAPK, JNK and ERK. ZD treatment alone did not pose obvious adverse effect on the healthy rat. In the cellular AFLD model, we also confirmed the inhibition of p38 MAPK and ERK abolished the beneficial effects of ZD. These results provide a scientific rationale for the use of zeaxanthin and its derivatives as new complementary agents for the prevention and treatment of alcoholic liver diseases.

Effects of Lycium barbarum aqueous and ethanol extracts on high-fat-diet induced oxidative stress in rat liver tissue

This study evaluated the protective effects of aqueous extract of Lycium barbarum (LBAE) and ethanol extract of Lycium barbarum (LBEE) on blood lipid levels, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities and liver tissue antioxidant enzyme activities in rats fed a high fat diet (HF). The rats were randomly divided into seven groups of ten rats each and fed a different diet for eight weeks as follows: One group (NC group) was fed a standard diet, one group was fed a high-fat diet (HF group), one group was fed a high-fat diet and orally fed with 20 mg/kg b.w. simvastatin (HF + simvastatin group), and the other group was fed the high fat diet and orally fed with 50 mg/kg b.w. or 100 mg/kg b.w. LBAE (HF + LBAE), or 50 mg/kg b.w. or 100 mg/kg b.w. LBEE (HF + LBEE), respectively. After eight weeks, the HF diet caused deleterious metabolic effects. Rats fed the HF diet alone showed increased hepatocellular enzyme activities in plasma, a significant decline in antioxidant enzyme activities, and elevated liver lipid peroxidation indices. LBAE and LBEE administration significantly reduced liver damage and oxidative changes, and brought back the antioxidants and lipids towards normal levels. These data suggest that these antioxidants protect against toxicity parameters in HF rats.

Zeaxanthin dipalmitate from Lycium chinense fruit reduces experimentally induced hepatic fibrosis in rats

We previously reported that zeaxanthin dipalmitate (ZD), a carotenoid from Lycium chinense fruit, reduces myofibroblast-like cell proliferation and collagen synthesis in vitro. To determine whether ZD might reduce the severity of hepatic fibrosis in an animal model, hepatic fibrosis was induced in rats by bile duct ligation/scission (BDL) for a period of 6 weeks. Treatment of BDL rats with ZD at a dose of 25 mg/kg body weight significantly reduced the activities of aspartate transaminase (p<0.05) and alkaline phosphatase (p<0.001) in serum. Furthermore, collagen deposition was significantly reduced as assessed by the Sirius Red binding assay in BDL rats administered ZD at the dose of 25 mg/kg body weight (p<0.01). In addition, the levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and 4-hydroxyproline were reduced when BDL rats received ZD at the dose of 25 mg/kg body weight. These results showed that ZD effectively inhibited hepatic fibrosis in BDL rats, at least in part via its antioxidative activity.