Quinces (Cydonia oblonga, Chaenomeles sp., and Pseudocydonia sinensis) as Medicinal Fruits of the Rosaceae Family: Current State of Knowledge on Properties and Use

In recent years, the evaluation of many plant-derived compounds as potential new drugs or functional foods has become an active research topic. The morphological characteristics of quinces of the genera Cydonia sp., Chaenomeles sp., and Pseuocydonia sp. are largely similar, which is why these fruits are often confused. Although they have been appreciated in Asia for centuries as a valuable component of local ethnomedicine, they are less known in Western countries, and scientific knowledge about their health benefits remains fragmentary. This literature review summarizes studies on the content of chemical compounds responsible for the health-promoting and functional properties of the quince fruit. It focuses on the content of carotenoids, vitamins, minerals, and carboxylic acids, although the main emphasis is on the content and diversity of bioactive polyphenols, which are extremely abundant in these fruits. The quince fruits are rich in antioxidants and compounds with proven anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiallergic, and immunomodulatory effects. Their phytochemicals effectively regulate glycemia and improve the blood lipid profile, suggesting potential antidiabetic and cardioprotective benefits. Analysis of chemical characteristics showed that the Chaenomeles fruits. are underestimated as functional food ingredients. Studies on the molecular effects of their bioactive compounds and species-specific genomic analyses are sorely lacking in the scientific literature.

Phytochemistry and pharmacology of plants in the genus Chaenomeles

Chaenomeles plants belong to the Rosaceae family and include five species, Chaenomeles speciosa (Sweet) Nakai, Chaenomeles sinensis (Thouin) Koehne, Chaenomeles japonica (Thunb.) Lindl, Chaenomeles cathayensis (Hemsl.) Schneid and Chaenomeles thibetica Yu. Chaenomeles plants are found and cultivated in nearly every country worldwide. China serves as both the origin and distribution hub for the plants in the Chaenomeles genus, and all Chaenomeles species except for C. japonica are indigenous to China. Chaenomeles spp. is a type of edible medicinal plant that has been traditionally used in China to treat various ailments, such as rheumatism, cholera, dysentery, enteritis, beriberi, and scurvy. A variety of chemical constituents have been extracted from this genus, including terpenoids, phenolics, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids and their derivatives, benzoic acid derivatives, biphenyls, oxylipins, and alkaloids. The biological activity of some of these constituents has already been evaluated. Pharmacological investigations have demonstrated that the plants in the genus Chaenomeles exhibit anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, gastrointestinal protective, antitumor, immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antiviral, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective and other pharmacological activities. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date summary of the available information on the genus Chaenomeles to serve as a valuable reference for further investigations.

Relationship between Maturity Stage, Triterpenoid Content and Cytotoxicity of Sorbus intermedia (EHRH.) PERS. Fruits - A Chemometric Approach

In this study, two ursane-type triterpenes, i. e., ursolic acid (UA) and 3-O-β-acetoxyursolic acid (AUA), were isolated and quantified in Sorbus intermedia (EHRH.) PERS. fruits. UA and AUA levels differed slightly throughout fruit maturation, and both triterpenes showed similar dynamics of accumulation with the highest levels found in ripe fruits (up to 6.33±0.56 and 1.17±0.18 mg/g dw. of UA and AUA, respectively). The extracts derived from unripe fruits displayed significant cytotoxic effects against WM793, DU-145, PC3, 8505C, Caco2 and A549 cells, but no correlation between UA and AUA levels and cytotoxicity was found. On the other hand, extracts from mature fruits were not active towards almost all of the tested cell lines. The chemometric approach showed that the extracts derived from fruits harvested earlier clustered to form a clearly distanced group from extracts prepared from more-mature fruits. The extracts at higher concentrations formed separate groups, which indicated the concentration-dependent effect of these extracts on the cells.

Rapid Identification of Common Secondary Metabolites of Medicinal Herbs Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Evaporative Light Scattering Detector in Extracts

The discovery and identification of novel natural products of medicinal importance in the herbal medicine industry becomes a challenge. The complexity of this process can be reduced by dereplication strategies. The current study includes a method based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), using the evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) to identify the 12 most common secondary metabolites in plant extracts. Twelve compounds including rutin, taxifolin, quercetin, apigenin, kaempferol, betulinic acid, oleanolic acid, betulin, lupeol, stigmasterol, and β-sitosterol were analyzed simultaneously. The polarity of the compounds varied greatly from highly polar (flavonoids) to non-polar (triterpenes and sterols). This method was also tested for HPLC-DAD and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. Oleanolic acid and ursolic acid could not be separated in HPLC-ELSD analysis but were differentiated using LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis due to different fragment ions. The regression values (R² > 0.996) showed good linearity in the range of 50–1000 µg/mL for all compounds. The range of LOD and LOQ values were 7.76–38.30 µg/mL and 23.52–116.06 µg/mL, respectively. %RSD and % trueness values of inter and intraday studies were mostly <10%. This method was applied on 10 species of medicinal plants. The dereplication strategy has the potential to facilitate and shorten the identification process of common secondary metabolites in complex plant extracts.

Pentacyclic triterpenoids and polyphenols accumulation in cell suspension culture of Chaenomeles japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. ex Spach

Introduction: Callus and cell suspension cultures are widely applied in investigation of production of high-value secondary metabolites, which may be used as cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Plant cell cultures are promising alternative to intact plant sources for the production of plant-derived drugs of industrial importance.

Objective: The aim of the study was to (i) initiate the cell suspension culture of Chaenomeles japonica from homogenous and uniform callus, (ii) stabilize the selected line and (iii) verify its ability to produce the desired groups of secondary metabolites – pentacyclic triterpenoids and polyphenols.

Methods: To establish a cell suspension culture, stabilized and homogeneous callus was selected. Cell cultures were systematically passaged every 2 weeks to fresh liquid medium with the same composition. Biomass from cultures at the growth phase and stationary phase was designated for phytochemical research. UHPLC-DAD-MS analyzes were performed. At the same time, their macroscopic and microscopic observations were carried out.

Results: Cells of suspension culture line A2 were characterized by the intense divisions. Cell culture extracts (both from the growth phase and stationary phase) contained pentacyclic triterpenoids. In addition, phe-nolic compounds (chlorogenic acid and proanthocyanidins type B) and in a small amount also epicatechin are present in the extract of the cells harvested from the growth phase. In the present studies, three pentacyclic triterpenoids were detected and quantified in the extracts of cell suspensions and callus line A2. Ursolic and oleanolic acids were the main triterpenoids in the studied extracts. The cell suspension culture from the growth phase exhibited the highest content of ursolic, oleanolic, and betulinic acid (separately and together).

Conclusion: The cell suspension culture of Chaenomeles japonica is a promising source of pentacyclic triterpenoids.

Study of isomeric pentacyclic triterpene acids in traditional Chinese medicine of Forsythiae Fructus and their binding constants with β-cyclodextrin by capillary electrophoresis

In this study, a capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method was first developed to identify three microconstituents of isomeric pentacyclic triterpene acids (PTAs including oleanolic acid (OA), ursolic acid (UA) and betulinic acid (BA)) in Forsythiae Fructus (FF). The baseline separation of PTAs by CZE were eventually achieved in a background electrolyte (BGE) containing 50.0 mmol/L borax and 0.5 mmol/L β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) at pH 9.5 within 13.0 min. Herein, it was not only the compositions of BGE were detail investigated for rapid and good separation, but also the binding ratio and the equilibrium constants (K) for OA, UA and BA with β-CD was estimated by double reciprocal equation to well understand the separation mechanism. The proposed method allowed the LODs of PTAs were averaged at 1.50 μg/mL with UV detection (at 200 nm). The interday RSD of migration time and peak area were around 2.0 and 4.7% (n = 5), respectively. Thus, the content of PTAs in 19 FF real samples distinguished from maturation stages and geographical areas in China was quantified with the proposed method. Depending on the amount of each PTA in FF, it was demonstrated these microconstituents might benefit to identify their harvested time even qualities.

Effect of boiling and drying process on chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Chaenomeles speciosa

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of fresh and boiled Chaenomeles speciosa (CS) slices dried by different drying methods were determined. Data were analyzed by principle component analysis and cluster analysis. All dried boiled CS from dried fresh CS slices form main cluster. The results also demonstrated that both drying methods, freeze drying and hot air drying at 60 °C had good potential in the industrial drying of fresh and boiled CS. Fresh CS dried by hot air drying at 60 °C was more suitable for the industrial production.

A biphenyl derivative from the twigs of Chaenomeles speciosa

In our continuing search for bioactive constituents of Korean medicinal sources, we investigated an 80% MeOH extract of the twigs of Chaenomeles speciosa. Column chromatographic purification of the CHCl₃ fraction resulted in the isolation of a new biphenyl derivative (1), along with four known biphenyl compounds (2-5) and six triterpenes (6-11). The chemical structure of the new compound was determined on the basis of spectroscopic analyses including 1D and 2D NMR data. Among isolates, compound 3 exhibited potent cytotoxic activities against SK-OV-3, SK-MEL-2, and XF498 cell lines (IC₅₀=5.91, 4.22, and 6.28μM, respectively). Also, Compounds 9 and 10 showed strong anti-neuroinflammatory activities (IC₅₀ 2.38, and 6.70μM, respectively).

Isolation and Simultaneous Quantification of Nine Triterpenoids from Rosa davurica Pall

Rosa davurica Pall. has been used as a traditional Oroqen medicine to treat dyspepsia, gastroenterologia, menoxenia and other diseases. In this study, the chemical constituents research on the fruit pulp of R. davurica led to the isolation and identification of nine bioactive pentacyclic triterpenoids and five of them were isolated from the plant for the first time. Subsequently a simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was established for the simultaneous quantification of the nine triterpenoids. The separation was performed on a Merges reverse phase (RP) C₁₈ (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column through 40 min gradient delivery of 0.05% phosphoric acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1.2 mL/min at 30°C and the detection wavelength selected was 210 nm. All of the calibration curves showed good linearity (R² > 0.9990) in the tested ranges. The limit of detection and the limit of quantitation were in the range of 0.21-1.27 μg/mL and 0.63-3.80 μg/mL, respectively. The established method also showed good precision, repeatability and recovery and can be used to the routine quality control of R. davurica and other herbs containing pentacyclic triterpenoids.

Chemical Composition and Bioactivities of Two Common Chaenomeles Fruits in China: Chaenomeles speciosa and Chaenomeles sinensis

Contents of total flavonoids, total phenolics, total triterpenes, total condensed tannin and total saponins in peels, flesh and endocarps of Chaenomeles speciosa (CSP) and Chaenomeles sinensis (CSS) were determined by colorimetric method, while 5 phenolics (vanillic, gallic, chlorogenic, ferulic and p-coumaric acids), 2 triterpenes (oleanolic and ursolic acids), and 3 flavonoids (rutin, catechin and epicatechin) were identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and HPLC, and antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of them also were evaluated as well as their digestive characteristics. In the correlation analysis, total phenolics, vanillic acid, catechin, ursolic acid and oleanolic acid all contribute to DPPH(·) scavenge capacity, gallic acid contributes to total ferric reducing antioxidant power, while total triterpenes, total saponins, chlorogenic acid and ferullic acid contribute to α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. In the principal component analysis, endocarps of CSP and CSS both show better quality than their peels and flesh, respectively. In vitro digestion can increase contents of total flavonoids, total condensed tannin and total saponins, while contents of total phenolics and total triterpenes decreased greatly. Our study would contribute to the full use of discarded parts of the 2 Chaenomeles and be helpful to establish a good foundation for further research of CSP and CSS.

The preventive and therapeutic potential of natural polyphenols on influenza

Influenza virus belongs to orthomyxoviridae family. This virus is a major public health problems, with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Despite a wide range of pharmacotherapeutic choices inhibiting specific sequences of pathological process of influenza, developing more effective therapeutic options is an immediate challenge. In this paper, a comprehensively review of natural polyphenolic products used worldwide for the management of influenza infection is presented. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of the natural polyphenols on influenza infection including suppressing virus replication cycle, viral hemagglutination, viral adhesion and penetration into the host cells, also intracellular transductional signaling pathways have been discussed in detail. Based on cellular, animal, and human evidence obtained from several studies, the current paper demonstrates that natural polyphenolic compounds possess potential effects on both prevention and treatment of influenza, which can be used as adjuvant therapy with conventional chemical drugs for the management of influenza and its complications.