Nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics and cytotoxicity (HT-29 and HCT-116 cell lines) studies insight the potential of less utilized parts of Camellia sinensis (Kangra tea)

Phytochemical Profiling and Biological Activities of Pericarps and Seeds Reveal the Controversy on "Enucleation" or "Nucleus-Retaining" of Cornus officinalis Fruits

The fruits of Cornus officinalis are used not only as a popular health food to tonify the liver and kidney, but also as staple materials to treat dementia and other age-related diseases. The pharmacological function of C. officinalis fruits with or without seeds is controversial for treating some symptoms in a few herbal prescriptions. However, the related metabolite and pharmacological information between its pericarps and seeds are largely deficient. Here, comparative metabolomics analysis between C. officinalis pericarps and seeds were conducted using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry, and therapeutic effects were also evaluated using several in vitro bioactivity arrays (antioxidant activity, α-glucosidase and cholinesterase inhibitory activities, and cell inhibitory properties). A total of 499 secondary metabolites were identified. Thereinto, 77 metabolites were determined as key differential metabolites between C. officinalis pericarps and seeds, and the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway was identified as the most significantly different pathway. Further, 47 metabolites were determined as potential bioactive constituents. In summary, C. officinalis seeds, which demonstrated higher contents in total phenolics, stronger in vitro antioxidant activities, better α-glucosidase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activities, and stronger anticancer activities, exhibited considerable potential for food and health fields. This work provided insight into the metabolites and bioactivities of C. officinalis pericarps and seeds, contributing to their precise development and utilization.

Metabolomics: An Emerging "Omics" Platform for Systems Biology and Its Implications for Huntington Disease Research

Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. The precise mechanisms of HD progression are poorly understood; however, it is known that there is an expansion of the trinucleotide cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat in the Huntingtin gene. Important new strategies are of paramount importance to identify early biomarkers with predictive value for intervening in disease progression at a stage when cellular dysfunction has not progressed irreversibly. Metabolomics is the study of global metabolite profiles in a system (cell, tissue, or organism) under certain conditions and is becoming an essential tool for the systemic characterization of metabolites to provide a snapshot of the functional and pathophysiological states of an organism and support disease diagnosis and biomarker discovery. This review briefly highlights the historical progress of metabolomic methodologies, followed by a more detailed review of the use of metabolomics in HD research to enable a greater understanding of the pathogenesis, its early prediction, and finally the main technical platforms in the field of metabolomics.

Secondary Metabolomic Analysis and In Vitro Bioactivity Evaluation of Stems Provide a Comprehensive Comparison between Dendrobium chrysotoxum and Dendrobium thyrsiflorum

The stems of Dendrobium chrysotoxum (DC) are commonly used as health-promoting foods due to their excellent biological activities. However, the stems of D. thyrsiflorum (DT) are often used to meet the scarcity of DC in production because of their highly similar morphology. However, the related metabolomic and bioactive information on the stems of DC and DT are largely deficient. Here, secondary metabolites of DC and DT stems were identified using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, and their health-promoting functions were evaluated using several in vitro arrays. A total of 490 metabolites were identified in two stems, and 274 were significantly different. We screened out 10 key metabolites to discriminate the two species, and 36 metabolites were determined as health-promoting constituents. In summary, DT stems with higher extract yield, higher total phenolics and flavonoids, and stronger in vitro antioxidant activities demonstrated considerable potential in food and health fields.

Phytochemical Profiling and Compound Isolation of Cissus rhombifolia Vahl. Leaves Aqueous Methanolic Extract with the Evaluation of Its Anti-Inflammatory Effect Using Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation in RAW 264.7 Cells

The inflammatory disorders represent a serious health issue. Certain Cissus species possess anti-inflammatory effect. Cissus rhombifolia Vahl. leaves' anti-inflammatory activities and phytoconstituents are poorly characterized. In this study, 38 constituents were tentatively characterized in Cissus rhombifolia Vahl. leaves' aqueous methanolic extract (CRLE) using high-performance liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) and Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1 H-NMR). Myricetin, β-amyrin, and alliospiroside A, were isolated from CRLE using column chromatography. The anti-inflammatory effect of CRLE and its isolated compounds were studied in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT assay) was used to assess how CRLE and its isolated compounds affected cell viability. Further, its effects on the production of intracellular NO, and inflammatory cytokines cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were assessed by the Griess test, and cytokine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, respectively. CRLE and its isolated compounds, myricetin, β-amyrin, and alliospiroside A decreased the NO production. Western blotting was performed to assess the protein expression levels of the inflammatory cytokines inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Alliospiroside A downregulated IL-6, TNF-α, and COX-2 and inhibited the expression of iNOS. CRLE and its compounds represent effective alternative candidate to treat inflammatory diseases.