Widely targeted metabolic analysis revealed the changed pigmentation and bioactive compounds in the ripening Berchemia floribunda (Wall.) Brongn. fruit

Berchemia plants were important materials for Chinese traditional medicines due to their special secondary metabolites. Unlike the root, stem and leaf tissues, Berchemia floribunda (Wall.) Brongn. fruit was lacked of systematic metabolic investigation. Biochemical analysis found that the total flavonoid and total phenolic content of Berchemia fruit pulp showed a peak value at red ripe stage, and then decreased, but the total anthocyanin content sharply increased along with the coloration. By widely targeted metabolomic analysis, 644 metabolites were identified and categorized into 23 groups mainly including flavonoid, organic acids, amino acids, lipids, phenylpropanoid, nucleotides, alkaloids, carbohydrates, alcohols, anthocyanins & proanthocyanidins, vitamins, terpenes, polyphenols, phenolamides, quinones, indole derivatives, and sterides. Among them, 111 metabolites and 123 metabolites respectively showed up- and down-regulation from break stage to full mature. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that active secondary metabolism such as biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids, flavonoid, and alkaloids happened during Berchemia fruit ripening. More importantly, Cyanidin-3-O-galactoside and other 3 cyanidins were found to be the predominant pigments in mature Berchemia fruit and increased cyanidins and pelargonidins but decreased anthocyanins might be contributed to the purple pigmentation of Berchemia fruit. Interestingly, 29 pharmaceutical compounds previously reported in other Berchemia tissues were also detected in ripening Berchemia fruit pulp: 8 flavonoid, 2 quinones & sucrose showed up-regulated accumulation while 6 polyphenols, 5 flavonoid, 3 phenylpropanoid, 2 organic acids, 1 quinones and β-sitosterol showed down-regulated accumulation In conclusion, our first comprehensive metabolic fingerprint will promote the further study of B. floribunda fruit and its medical and food application.

Polyphenols as a versatile component in tissue engineering

The fabrication of functional tissue or organs substitutes has always been the pursuit of goals in the field of tissue engineering. But even biocompatible tissue-engineered scaffolds still suffer from immune rejection, subsequent long-term oxidative stress and inflammation, which can delay normal tissue repair and regeneration. As a well-known natural antioxidant, polyphenols have been widely used in tissue engineering in recent years. The introduced polyphenols not only reduce the damage of oxidative stress to normal tissues, but show specific affinity to functional molecules, such as receptors, enzyme, transcription and transduction factors, etc. Therefore, polyphenols can promote the recovery process of damaged tissues by both regulating tissue microenvironment and participating in cell events, which embody specifically in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and growth-promoting properties. In addition, based on its hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties, polyphenols have been widely used to improve the mechanical properties and anti-degradation properties of tissue engineering scaffolds. In this review, the research advances of tissue engineering scaffolds containing polyphenols is discussed systematically from the aspects of action mechanism, introduction method and regulation effect of polyphenols, in order to provide references for the rational design of polyphenol-related functional scaffolds.

Occurrences, biosynthesis and properties of aurones as high-end evolutionary products

Recent years have witnessed a considerable renewed interest for the uncommon flavonoid class of aurones. The characterization of two major biosynthetic machineries involved in their biosynthesis in flowers has encouraged the revival of phytochemical studies and identification of original structures, a process started almost seventy-five years ago. This review draws up an exhaustive map of natural occurrences of aurones their biosynthetic pathways and roles, with the aim to link their original structural properties among flavonoids to their place in evolution and the selective advantages they bring to some of the most advanced taxa in the plant kingdom.

Anthraquinone-benzisochromanquinone dimers from the roots of Berchemia floribunda

Four novel anthraquinone-benzisochromanquinone dimers, named floribundiquinones A, B, C, and D (1-4), along with six known anthraquinones, 10-(chrysophanol-7'-yl)-10-hydroxychrysophanol-9-anthrane (5), physcion (6), chrysophanol (7), 1,5,8-trihydroxy-3-methyl-anthraquinone (8), aloe-emodin (9), and xanthorin (10), were isolated from the roots of Berchemia floribunda. Their structures including the absolute axial stereochemistry were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods. Floribundiquinones represent a novel carbon skeleton with an anthraquinone-benzisochromanquinone unit. Hepatoprotective activities were evaluated against D-galactosamine-induced toxicity in WB-F344 rat hepatic epithelial stem-like cells.

Struthiolanone: A Flavanone-Resveratrol Adduct from Struthiola Argentea

Struthiolanone (1), a flavanone-resveratrol adduct, was isolated from Struthiola argentea. Its structure was determined by high-resolution mass spectrometry and 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic techniques. The absolute configuration was determined by comparison of the CD spectrum of biflavonoids. This compound appears to be the first example of a flavanoid-stilbene adduct.