Evaluation of l -dopa, proximate composition with in vitro anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of Mucuna macrocarpa beans: A future drug for Parkinson treatment

Mucuna laticifera: unprecedented L-dopa content and its role in neurodegenerative and inflammatory conditions

Genus Mucuna encompasses several plant species renowned for their utilization in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, chiefly due to their exceptionally high L-dopa content relative to other plants. However, limited information exists regarding Mucuna laticifera, a newly identified species within the Mucuna genus. This study unveils a remarkable L-dopa content of 174.3 mg/g in M. laticifera seeds, surpassing all previously documented Mucuna species. Moreover, this research marks the first documentation of L-dopa, flavonoids, and phenolics within M. laticifera seeds. Furthermore, the aqueous extract derived from these seeds exhibits robust antioxidant properties. Investigation into its anti-inflammatory potential reveals a significant reduction in paw swelling and neutrophil infiltration at inflammatory sites in a carrageenan-induced rat model. Gene expression analysis utilizing a rat paw model demonstrates that the seed extract significantly downregulates the expression of various inflammation-related genes compared to carrageenan-treated rats. Collectively, these findings clearly substantiate the anti-inflammatory activity of M. laticifera seed extract. The exceptional L-dopa content combined with its anti-inflammatory properties position M. laticifera seeds as a promising therapeutic option for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, as well as various inflammatory conditions.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-024-03969-w.

Evaluation of betulinic acid effects on pain, memory, anxiety, catalepsy, and oxidative stress in animal model of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is known for motor impairments. Betulinic acid (BA) is a natural compound with antioxidant activity. The present study addresses the question of whether BA affects motor and non-motor dysfunctions and molecular changes in the rat model of PD. The right medial forebrain bundle was lesioned by injection of 6-hydroxydopamine in Male Wistar rats (10-12 weeks old, 270-320 g). Animals were divided into Sham, PD, 3 treated groups with BA (0.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg, IP), and a positive control group received L-dopa (20 mg/kg, P.O) for 7 days. rigidity, anxiety, analgesia, and memory were assessed by bar test, open-field, elevated plus-maze (EPM), tail-flick, and shuttle box. Additionally, the malondialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Interleukin 10 (IL10) levels in the whole brain were measured. BA significantly reversed the 6-hydroxydopamine-induced motor and memory complication in the bar test and shuttle box. It modified anxiety-like behavior neither in open-field nor in EPM. It only decreased the time spent in open arms. Moreover, no significant changes were found in the tail-flick between treatment and sham groups. On the other hand, the level of MDA & IL10 were decreased, while the activity of GPx levels of SOD & BDNF in the rats' brains was increased. Our results showed that BA as a free radical scavenger can account for a possible promise as a good therapeutic agent for motor and non-motor complications in PD however further studies may be needed.

Comparative Insights into Four Major Legume Sprouts Efficacies for Diabetes Management and Its Complications: Untargeted versus Targeted NMR Biochemometrics Approach

Interest in the consumption of seed sprouts is gradually increasing as functional foods in the modern Western diet owing to their several nutritional and health benefits. The present study aims to investigate four major legume sprouts derived from faba bean (Vicia faba L.), lentil (Lens esculenta L.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-greacum L.) for their antidiabetic activity and mitigation of associated complications, i.e., oxidative stress, liver dysfunction, and lipid metabolism, compared with glibenclamide. Biochemical results presented herein further showed that the four sprouts exhibited significant hypoglycemic effects (p < 0.05), with improvement in decreasing of blood glucose levels at different degrees and with faba bean sprout most active at 348% improvement, compared to 364.3% for glibenclamide. Further biochemometric analysis based on a comparison between targeted versus untargeted partial least square (PLS) and regression analyses revealed that faba bean sprouts’ richness in flavonoids was a determinant key factor for such efficacy. In addition, correlation with previously investigated NMR fingerprinting aided in pinpointing other active agents, such as betaine and L-DOPA. Furthermore, the effect on serum liver enzymes, including alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase; oxidative stress markers; and lipid profiles showed significant improvement, especially in the case of faba bean sprout. The study revealed the potential health benefits of legume sprouts in the treatment of diabetes and its associated complications, as well as the potential role of biochemometrics in active agents’ identification in such a complex matrix to be considered for other functional foods investigation.

Development and Validation of a Reversed-Phase HPLC Method with UV Detection for the Determination of L-Dopa in Vicia faba L. Broad Beans

L-Dopa (LD), a substance used medically in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, is found in several natural products, such as Vicia faba L., also known as broad beans. Due to its low chemical stability, LD analysis in plant matrices requires an appropriate optimization of the chosen analytical method to obtain reliable results. This work proposes an HPLC-UV method, validated according to EURACHEM guidelines as regards linearity, limits of detection and quantification, precision, accuracy, and matrix effect. The LD extraction was studied by evaluating its aqueous stability over 3 months. The best chromatographic conditions were found by systematically testing several C18 stationary phases and acidic mobile phases. In addition, the assessment of the best storage treatment of Vicia faba L. broad beans able to preserve a high LD content was performed. The best LD determination conditions include sun-drying storage, extraction in HCl 0.1 M, chromatographic separation with a Discovery C18 column, 250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm particle size, and 99% formic acid 0.2% v/v and 1% methanol as the mobile phase. The optimized method proposed here overcomes the problems linked to LD stability and separation, thus contributing to the improvement of its analytical determination.

Bos taurus (A-2) urine assisted bioactive cobalt oxide anchored ZnO: a novel nanoscale approach

In this study, a novel synthetic method for cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanoparticles using Bos taurus (A-2) urine as a reducing agent was developed. In addition to this ZnO nanorods were produced hydrothermally and a nanocomposite is formed through a solid-state reaction. The synthesized materials were characterized through modern characterization techniques such as XRD, FE-SEM with EDS, DLS, zeta potential, FT-IR, Raman spectroscopic analysis, and TGA with DSC. The free radical destructive activity was determined using two different methods viz. ABTS and DPPH. The potential for BSA denaturation in vitro, which is measured in comparison to heat-induced denaturation of egg albumin and results in anti-inflammatory effects of nanomaterial was studied. All synthesized nanomaterials have excellent antibacterial properties, particularly against Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus. The composite exhibits excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in comparison to pure nanomaterials. This reveals that these nanomaterials are advantageous in medicine and drug administration.

An Overview of Methods for L-Dopa Extraction and Analytical Determination in Plant Matrices

L-dopa is a precursor of dopamine used as the most effective symptomatic drug treatment for Parkinson's disease. Most of the L-dopa isolated is either synthesized chemically or from natural sources, but only some plants belonging to the Fabaceae family contain significant amounts of L-dopa. Due to its low stability, the unambiguous determination of L-dopa in plant matrices requires appropriate technologies. Several analytical methods have been developed for the determination of L-dopa in different plants. The most used for quantification of L-dopa are mainly based on capillary electrophoresis or chromatographic methods, i.e., high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), coupled to ultraviolet-visible or mass spectrometric detection. HPLC is most often used. This paper aims to give information on the latest developments in the chemical study of L-dopa, emphasizing the extraction, separation and characterization of this compound by chromatographic, electrochemical and spectral techniques. This study can help select the best possible strategy for determining L-dopa in plant matrices using advanced analytical methods.

Phytochemical Analysis and Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Antiaging Activities of Ethanolic Seed Extracts of Four Mucuna Species

The investigation into promising botanical materials for natural cosmetics is expanding due to environmental and health awareness. Here, we aimed to evaluate the phytochemical substances and the potential skin-related pharmacological activities of four Mucuna seeds, namely M. gigantea (Willd.) DC. (MGG), M. interrupta Gagnep. (MIT), M. monosperma Wight (MMM), and M. pruriens (L.) DC. (MPR), belonging to the Fabaceae family. In methodology, the Mucuna seeds were authenticated using morphological and molecular approaches. L-DOPA, phenolics, and flavonoid content, incorporated with HPLC and GC–MS fingerprinting analyses, were determined. Then, skin-related antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antiaging activities were determined. The results revealed that MPR showed the highest L-DOPA content (75.94 mg/100 mg extract), whereas MGG exhibited the highest phenolic and flavonoid content (56.73 ± 0.62 mg gallic/g extract and 1030.11 ± 3.97 mg quercetin/g extract, respectively). Only MMM and MPR could inhibit all of S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and C. albicans, but no sample could inhibit C. acnes. Furthermore, all samples demonstrated antioxidant activity. Interestingly, all Mucuna samples exhibited strong collagenase, elastase, and hyaluronidase inhibitory activities. We conclude that the ethanolic extracts of four Mucuna seeds are probably advantageous in the development of skincare cosmeceutical products.

Metabolic engineering of tomato fruit enriched in L-DOPA

L-DOPA, also known as Levodopa or L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, is a non-standard amino acid, and the gold standard drug for the treatment for Parkinson's Disease (PD). Recently, a gene encoding the enzyme that is responsible for its synthesis, as a precursor of the coloured pigment group betalains, was identified in beetroot, BvCYP76AD6. We have engineered tomato fruit enriched in L-DOPA through overexpression of BvCYP76AD6 in a fruit specific manner. Analysis of the transgenic fruit revealed the feasibility of accumulating L-DOPA in a non-naturally betalain-producing plant. Fruit accumulating L-DOPA also showed major effects on the fruit metabolome. Some of these changes included elevation of amino acids levels, changes in the levels of intermediates of the TCA and glycolysis pathways and reductions in the levels of phenolic compounds and nitrogen-containing specialised metabolites. Furthermore, we were able to increase the L-DOPA levels further by elevating the expression of the metabolic master regulator, MYB12, specifically in tomato fruit, together with BvCYP76AD6. Our study elucidated new roles for L-DOPA in plants, because it impacted fruit quality parameters including antioxidant capacity and firmness. The L-DOPA levels achieved in tomato fruit were comparable to the levels in other non-seed organs of L-DOPA - accumulating plants, offering an opportunity to develop new biological sources of L-DOPA by widening the repertoire of L-DOPA-accumulating plants. These tomato fruit could be used as an alternative source of this important pharmaceutical.

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Tomato fruit were engineered to synthesise and accumulate L-DOPA.

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Co-expression of the transcription factor, MYB12, doubled the levels of L-DOPA in tomato fruit.

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The accumulation of L-DOPA resulted in additional changes in the profile of primary and secondary metabolites in tomatoes.

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The L-DOPA tomato fruit exhibited improved shelf life and reduced susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea.

An assessment of potential nutritive and medicinal properties of Mucuna pruriens: a natural food legume

Mucuna pruriens belongs to the Fabaceae family and is ordinarily known as velvet bean, in English cowitch and Hindi Kawaanch. The restorative quality of this bean makes it an excellent component in pharmaceutical and therapeutic applications. Apart from high protein and starch content, these beans contain (l-Dopa) 3, 4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine, which exhibits several medicinal properties. However, it is poisonous when ingested by ruminants. The obstruction to the advancement of Mucuna as nutrition or food is the nearness of antinutrients, which are high as opposed to other uncommon vegetables. Also, this legume is considered as a future restorative herb because of its anticholesterolemic, anti-Parkinson, antioxidant, antidiabetic, sexual enhancing, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antivenom activities. It also exhibits anticancer activities, but very few studies have been done. The seeds of Mucuna pruriens also contain a vast range of phytochemical constituents such as alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, reducing sugars, and tannins, which provide an avenue to explore it for wider applications. This review sheds light on the possible mechanism of action of Mucuna pruriens on some diseases (hypoglycemia, Parkinson's disease, microbial diseases and tumor). and also fills the gap in the studies of Mucuna pruriens. and Further more in vitro and in vivo studies should be done to explore the potential of these seeds against many diseases, its application as a food source, its antinutrient, and harmful properties as well as its nutraceutical perspective.

Dual Mode Chip Enantioselective Express Discrimination of Chiral Amines via Wettability-Based Mobile Application and Portable Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Measurements

A dual-mode functional chip for chiral sensing based on mobile phone wettability measurements and portable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is reported. The plasmon-active regular gold grating surface was covalently grafted with chiral recognition moieties, l- or d-enantiomers of tartaric acid, making stereoselective discrimination of chiral amines possible. Chiral sensing of amines includes two modes of analysis, performed subsequently on the one chip surface with portable instruments (mobile phone equipped with a camera and developed application (app) Dropangle and a portable Raman spectrometer). First, the wettability changes, caused by enantioselective entrapping of chiral amines, are monitored and analyzed via our mobile phone app, allowing detection of the optical configuration and concentration of enantiomers with 1 order of magnitude accuracy. Second, SERS measurement on the same chip provides information about the chemical structure of entrapped amines and allows calculation of the enantiomeric excess with great accuracy. The applicability of the developed chip is demonstrated on a variety of chiral amines, including tyrosine, cysteine, dopamine (DOPA), and dextromethorphan in analytical solutions and in commercially available DOPA-containing drug. Moreover, we demonstrate that the chips could be regenerated and used repeatedly for at least five cycles.

Processing Effect on L-DOPA, In Vitro Protein and Starch Digestibility, Proximate Composition, and Biological Activities of Promising Legume: Mucuna macrocarpa

Objective: In the present investigation, the effect of different cooking processes on L-DOPA level, phenolics contents, in vitro protein (IVPD) and starch digestibility (IVSD), and proximate composition with in vitro anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of Mucuna macrocarpa (MM) has been evaluated. Methods: The L-DOPA and major phenolics acids quantification of processed samples were done by a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) technique. Proximate composition, elemental quantification, and in vitro protein and starch digestibility of the samples were carried out by using spectrophotometric analysis. The anti-inflammatory activities of samples were evaluated by a human red blood cells (HRBCs) membrane stabilization test and bovine serum albumin (BSA) anti-denaturation assay. Antioxidant potential of processed beans was carried out by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylendiamine (DMPD) assays and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Results: The processed MM beans showed a significant reduction of L-DOPA (6.30%), phytic acid (25.78%), tannin (19.79%), and saponin (25.59%) in the boiling, autoclaving, and roasting processes. RP-HPLC quantification of major phenolics acids was also affected by the differential process as compare to the raw seed sample. The processed seeds also showed considerable improvement of in vitro protein (26.93%) and starch (20.30%) digestibility, whereas the anti-inflammatory potential and antioxidant potential of MM beans were decreased in the processed samples, indicating a reduction of antioxidant molecules. Conclusion: The differential process showed considerable changes in the proximate composition, in vitro digestibility, and biological potential. The present study recommends the utilization of MM beans after autoclaving and boiling for maximum nutritional potential with health benefits.

Ultrasound-Assisted Aqueous Extraction of Phenolic, Flavonoid Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Mucuna macrocarpa Beans: Response Surface Methodology Optimization

OBJECTIVE

This investigation was undertaken to optimize the effective extraction of total phenolics content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), and antioxidant activity from the Mucuna macrocarpa (MM) beans. An ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) technique with water as an effective solvent was proposed for the response surface methodology (RSM) optimization.

METHODS

A three-level, two-factor central composite design (CCD) was employed to reveal the optimal points of variables. Different extraction times (5, 10, 15 minutes) and ultrasonic power levels (10, 20, 30 W) were used for the optimization. The experimental runs given by the RSM were evaluated for TPC, TFC, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (RSA), and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DMPD) RSA and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP).

RESULTS

The predicted times for maximum extraction of TPC (186.61 mg GAE g^-1), TFC (148.87 mg QUE g^-1), and DPPH RSA (99.37%), and DMPD RSA (50.58%) and FRAP (2.38 O.D. at 593 nm) were 12.57, 12.84, 12.43, 12.97, and 13.24 min, and ultrasonic power levels were found to be 27.30, 26.76, 26.22, 27.03, and 27.84 W, respectively. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) analysis of phenolics compounds from the RSM optimized sample showed tannic acid (48.09 ± 1.92 mg/g), gallic acid (1.17 ± 0.19 mg/g), p-coumaric acid (0.56 ± 0.03 mg/g), and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (0.049 ± 0.01 mg/g) content.

CONCLUSION

Water and ultrasonication were found to be an effective extraction solvent and technique. RSM was effectively employed to investigate the optimal process conditions for the maximum extraction of TPC, TFC, and antioxidant compounds from the MM beans. Further, MM beans can be explored as a prominent antioxidant source for the treatment of several disorders.