Functional Compounds in Fermented Buckwheat Sprouts

A new 1,4-benzoxazine derivative produced by endophytic Colletotrichum gloeosporioides B-142

Colletotrin A (1), a new 1,4-benzoxazine derivative, and eight known compounds, including two alkaloids (2-3), one acylamide (4), one benzaldehyde (5), and four sterols (6-9) were obtained from endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides B-142, which was isolated from Dracaena cochinchinensis. Among them, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline-4,8-diol (2) was reported for the first time as natural product. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated with help of spectroscopic data including IR, UV, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation, HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR (COSY, HSQC and HMBC). The antimicrobial activities were evaluated by disc diffusion method.

Influence of fermentation on antioxidant and hypolipidemic properties of maifanite mineral water-cultured common buckwheat sprouts

Buckwheat sprouts (BS) becomes popular due to its' health-promoting properties as food product. The effects of fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus plantarum on antioxidant and hypolipidemic activities as well as functional composition in common BS cultivated in maifanite mineral water were investigated here. DPPH and ·OH results showed higher antioxidant potential in fermented BS compared to unfermented BS, due to the higher rutin, orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, isovitexin, and total phenolic and flavonoid contents. The S. cerevisiae-fermented BS also exhibited 113% and 110% higher DPPH and ·OH scavenging activities than the L. plantarum-fermented BS, respectively. In hyperlipidemic mice, blood lipid parameters were improved as dose-dependent manner when supplemented the food with S. cerevisiae-fermented BS. Fermented BS also restored liver antioxidant levels significantly. The fermented BS had greater effect on different parameters than those of unfermented BS. Therefore, fermentation is a valuable method to enhance the bioactive potential of BS.

Tryptophol and derivatives: natural occurrence and applications to the synthesis of bioactive compounds

This report presents some fundamental aspects related to the natural occurrence and bioactivity of tryptophol as well as the synthesis of tryptophols and their utilization for the preparation of naturally occurring alkaloid metabolites embedding the indole system.

Buckwheat as a Functional Food and Its Effects on Health

Buckwheat (BW) is a gluten-free pseudocereal that belongs to the Polygonaceae family. BW grain is a highly nutritional food component that has been shown to provide a wide range of beneficial effects. Health benefits attributed to BW include plasma cholesterol level reduction, neuroprotection, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic effects, and improvement of hypertension conditions. In addition, BW has been reported to possess prebiotic and antioxidant activities. In vitro and animal studies suggest that BW's bioactive compounds, such as D-chiro-inositol (DCI), BW proteins (BWP), and BW flavonoids (mainly rutin and quercetin) may be partially responsible for the observed effects. The purpose of this paper is to review the recent research regarding the health benefits of BW, in vitro and in vivo, focusing on the specific role of its bioactive compounds and on the mechanisms by which these effects are exerted.

Hypolipidemic activity of common (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and tartary (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) buckwheat

Buckwheat grain has well-balanced nutritional value, whereas its digestibility is relatively low. This review summarizes recent advances in studies on the hypolipidemic activity of buckwheat. The most remarkable function is a powerful hypocholesterolemic activity of buckwheat protein in rats, which is far stronger than that of soy protein. The cholesterol-lowering effect is mediated by mechanisms involving higher excretion of fecal sterols and lower digestibility of buckwheat protein. The insoluble fraction of buckwheat protein associates with cholesterol and reduces micelle cholesterol uptake in caco-2 cells. Furthermore, consumption of buckwheat protein suppresses cholesterol-induced gallstones and body fat in rodents. Buckwheat sprouts also have hypolipidemic activity in rats or type 2 diabetic mice. Tartary buckwheat bran extract reduced the serum level of total cholesterol and triglyceride in hyperlipidemic rats. The consumption of buckwheat seed reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the pastureland Mongolian population. Taken together, buckwheat may be beneficial for prevention of hyperlipidemia.

Green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) prevented hypertension by an inhibitory effect on angiotensin-converting enzyme activity in the kidney of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is known to be rich in functional components. In the present study, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were used to clarify whether green asparagus prevents hypertension by inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity. Six-week-old male SHR were fed a diet with (AD group) or without (ND group) 5% asparagus for 10 weeks. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) (AD: 159 ± 4.8 mmHg, ND: 192 ± 14.7 mmHg), urinary protein excretion/creatinine excretion, and ACE activity in the kidney were significantly lower in the AD group compared with the ND group. Creatinine clearance was significantly higher in the AD group compared with the ND group. In addition, ACE inhibitory activity was observed in a boiling water extract of asparagus. The ACE inhibitor purified and isolated from asparagus was identified as 2″-hydroxynicotianamine. In conclusion, 2″-hydroxynicotianamine in asparagus may be one of the factors inhibiting ACE activity in the kidney, thus preventing hypertension and preserving renal function.

Purification and identification of antihypertensive peptides from fermented buckwheat sprouts

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is rich in antihypertensive compounds. This study investigated the effect of lactic-fermented buckwheat sprouts (neo-FBS) on level, identification, and potency of blood pressure-lowering (BPL) compounds. A single oral dose of 1.0 mg/kg body weight buckwheat sprouts (BS) in spontaneously hypertensive rats did not show significant BPL activity, whereas neo-FBS significantly decreased blood pressure. HPLC of neo-FBS identified two peaks absent in the profile of BS. The peak exhibiting potent BPL activity was fractionated, and six peptides (DVWY, FDART, FQ, VAE, VVG, and WTFR) and tyrosine were identified by LC-MS/MS and Edman degradation. Single oral dose administration of the peptides revealed significant BPL effect of all the peptides, with the most potent being DVWY, FQ, and VVG. DVWY, VAE, and WTFR are novel. This study demonstrates that lactic fermentation of BS produces new, highly potent antihypertensive peptides and increases active compounds GABA and tyrosine already present in BS.

Effects of yeast polysaccharide on growth and flavonoid accumulation in Fagopyrum tataricum sprout cultures

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of yeast polysaccharide (YPS) on growth and flavonoid accumulation in sprout cultures of Fagopyrum tataricum (tartary buckwheat). Without obvious change in the appearance of the sprouts, the exogenous YPS notably stimulated the production of functional metabolites in F. tataricum sprouts, and the stimulation effect was concentration-dependent. With 400 mg/L of YPS applied to the sprout cultures on day 6, the total rutin and quercentin content was effectively increased to 42.8 mg/gdw, or about 1.4-fold in comparison with the control of 31.2 mg/gdw. Feeding with 800 mg/L of YPS on day 9, the sprouts biomass was increased by about 8% compared to the control culture (0.99 gdw/100 sprouts versus 0.92 gdw/100 sprouts). Moreover, the present study revealed that the accumulation of these bioactive metabolites resulted from the stimulation of the phenylpropanoid pathway by YPS treatment. It could be an effective strategy for improving the functional quality of the F. tataricum sprouts provided with YPS.