Characterization and Evaluation of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Flavonoids from the Fruits of Lycium barbarum

Astragalin from Thesium chinense: A Novel Anti-Aging and Antioxidant Agent Targeting IGFR/CD38/Sirtuins

Astragalin (AG), a typical flavonoid found in Thesium chinense Turcz (T. chinense), is abundant in various edible plants and possesses high nutritional value, as well as antioxidant and antibacterial effects. In this study, we initially predicted the mechanism of action of AG with two anti-aging and antioxidant-related protein targets (CD38 and IGFR) by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation techniques. Subsequently, we examined the anti-aging effects of AG in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), the antioxidant effects in zebrafish, and verified the related molecular mechanisms. In C. elegans, AG synergistically extended the lifespan of C. elegans by up-regulating the expression of daf-16 through inhibiting the expression of daf-2/IGFR and also activating the AMPK and MAPK pathways to up-regulate the expression of sir-2.1, sir-2.4, and skn-1. In oxidatively damaged zebrafish embryos, AG demonstrated a synergistic effect in augmenting the resistance of zebrafish embryos to oxidative stress by up-regulating the expression levels of SIRT1 and SIRT6 within the zebrafish embryos system via the suppression of CD38 enzymatic activity and then inhibiting the expression of IGFR through high levels of SIRT6. These findings highlight the antioxidant and anti-aging properties of AG and indicate its potential application as a supplementary ingredient in aquaculture for enhancing fish health and growth.

Unraveling the Bioactive Potential of Camellia japonica Edible Flowers: Profiling Antioxidant Substances and In Vitro Bioactivity Assessment

In recent years, the search for novel natural-based ingredients by food and related industries has sparked extensive research aimed at discovering new sources of functional molecules. Camellia japonica, traditionally known as an ornamental plant, has gained attention due to its diverse array of bioactive compounds with potential industrial applications. Although C. japonica flowers are edible, their phytochemical profile has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, a phenolic profile screening through an HPLC-ESI-QQQ-MS/MS approach was applied to C. japonica flower extracts, revealing a total of 36 compounds, including anthocyanins, curcuminoids, dihydrochalcones, dihydroflavonols, flavonols, flavones, hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, isoflavonoids, stilbenes, and tyrosols. Following extract profiling, their bioactivity was assessed by means of in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and neuroprotective activities. The results showed a multifaceted high correlation of phenolic compounds with all the tested bioactivities according to Pearson's correlation analysis, unraveling the potential of C. japonica flowers as promising sources of nutraceuticals. Overall, these findings provide insight into the valorization of C. japonica flowers from different unexplored cultivars thus diversifying their industrial outcome.

Exploration of chemical compositions in different germplasm wolfberry using UPLC-MS/MS and evaluation of the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of quercetin

Wolfberry, esteemed as a traditional Chinese medicinal material and functional food, is replete with nutrients and boasts a diverse array of health benefits, including hypoglycemic, antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-enhancing properties. Notably, inflammation is a pivotal factor in the onset and progression of numerous diseases. Despite this, there is a paucity of research on the comprehensive evaluation of the components found in different wolfberries, and the exploration of their primary active components is limited. To address this issue, we conducted a comprehensive targeted metabolomics analysis, employing statistical methods such as principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), KEGG pathway analysis, and volcano plots to delineate the compositional differences among red, black, and yellow wolfberries. Furthermore, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of their primary components through in vitro experiments. Our analysis revealed a total of 1,104 chemical compositions in the three wolfberries, with alkaloids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and lipids being the predominant nutritional components. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that these compositions were primarily involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, ABC transport, and galactose metabolism pathway. Moreover, our study demonstrated that quercetin exhibited dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity in LPS-stimulated HUVECs. It effectively inhibited the production of inflammatory factors such as TNF-α, MCP-1, and IL-1β, while also down-regulating the gene and protein expression levels of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. In conclusion, our findings indicate that there are variations in compositions among the three wolfberries, with flavonoids being the most abundant, and in vitro studies also confirmed the anti-inflammatory potential of quercetin. It is worth noting that Lycium ruthenicum contains higher levels of antioxidant components and possesses greater nutritional value, providing valuable insights for the future development and utilization of the three wolfberries.

Artemisia argyi extract exerts antioxidant properties and extends the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster

BACKGROUND

Chinese mugwort (Artemisia argyi) possesses extensive pharmacological activities associated with anti-tumour, antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. The present study aimed to investigate the antioxidant and anti-ageing effects of A. argyi extract (AAE) on the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) ageing model by detecting antioxidant enzyme activities and the mRNA level of antioxidant genes.

RESULTS

AAE could significantly lengthen the mean lifespan, 50% survival days, and maximum lifespan of D. melanogaster, especially when the amount of AAE added reached 6.68 mg mL-1, the mean lifespan of both female and male flies increased by 23.74% and 22.30%, respectively, indicating the effective life extension effect of AAE. At the same time, AAE could improve the climbing ability and tolerance to hydrogen peroxide in D. melanogaster. In addition, the addition of AAE effectively increased the activities of copper-zinc-containing superoxide dismutase, manganese-containing superoxide dismutase and catalase in D. melanogaster and reduced the contents of malondialdehyde. Moreover, when reared with diets containing AAE, the expression of antioxidant-related genes SOD1, SOD2 and CAT was up-regulated in D. melanogaster and down-regulated for MTH genes.

CONCLUSION

The study indicates that AAE effectively enhances the antioxidant capacity of D. melanogaster and has potential applications as an antioxidant and anti-ageing agent in the nutraceutical industry. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparative metabolomics combined with genome sequencing provides insights into novel wolfberry-specific metabolites and their formation mechanisms

Wolfberry (Lycium, of the family Solanaceae) has special nutritional benefits due to its valuable metabolites. Here, 16 wolfberry-specific metabolites were identified by comparing the metabolome of wolfberry with those of six species, including maize, rice, wheat, soybean, tomato and grape. The copy numbers of the riboflavin and phenyllactate degradation genes riboflavin kinase (RFK) and phenyllactate UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT1) were lower in wolfberry than in other species, while the copy number of the phenyllactate synthesis gene hydroxyphenyl-pyruvate reductase (HPPR) was higher in wolfberry, suggesting that the copy number variation of these genes among species may be the main reason for the specific accumulation of riboflavin and phenyllactate in wolfberry. Moreover, the metabolome-based neighbor-joining tree revealed distinct clustering of monocots and dicots, suggesting that metabolites could reflect the evolutionary relationship among those species. Taken together, we identified 16 specific metabolites in wolfberry and provided new insight into the accumulation mechanism of species-specific metabolites at the genomic level.

Integrative transcriptome and metabolome analysis reveals the discrepancy in the accumulation of active ingredients between Lycium barbarum cultivars

MAIN CONCLUSION

The combined analysis of transcriptome and metabolome provided molecular insight into the dynamics of multiple active ingredients biosynthesis and accumulation across different cultivars of Lycium barbarum. Lycium barbarum L. has a high concentration of active ingredients and is well known in traditional Chinese herbal medicine for its therapeutic properties. However, there are many Lycium barbarum cultivars, and the content of active components varies, resulting in inconsistent quality between Lycium barbarum cultivars. At present, few research has been conducted to reveal the difference in active ingredient content among different cultivars of Lycium barbarum at the molecular level. Therefore, the transcriptome of 'Ningqi No.1' and 'Qixin No.1' during the three development stages (G, T, and M) was constructed in this study. A total of 797,570,278 clean reads were obtained. Between the two types of wolfberries, a total of 469, 2394, and 1531 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained in the 'G1 vs. G10,' 'T1 vs. T10,' and 'M1 vs. M10,' respectively, and were annotated with Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) orthology identifiers. Using these transcriptome data, most DEGs related to the metabolism of the active ingredients in 'Ningqi No.1' and 'Qixin No.1' were identified. Moreover, a widely targeted metabolome analysis of the metabolites of 'Ningqi 1' and 'Qixin 1' fruits at the maturity stage revealed 1,135 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) in 'M1 vs. M10,' and many DEMs were associated with active ingredients such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and so on. We further quantified the flavonoid, lignin, and carotenoid contents of the two Lycium barbarum cultivars during the three developmental stages. The present outcome provided molecular insight into the dynamics of multiple active ingredients biosynthesis and accumulation across different cultivars of Lycium barbarum, which would provide the basic data for the formation of Lycium barbarum fruit quality and the breeding of outstanding strains.

Sasanquasaponin from Camellia oleifera Abel Exerts an Anti-Inflammatory Effect in RAW 264.7 Cells via Inhibition of the NF-κB/MAPK Signaling Pathways

Sasanquasaponin (SQS), a secondary metabolite that is derived from Camellia seeds, reportedly possesses notable biological properties. However, the anti-inflammatory effects of SQS and its underlying mechanisms remain poorly explored. Herein, we aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties of SQS against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 cells, focusing on the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and MAPK signaling pathways. SQS was isolated using a deep eutectic solvent and D101 macroporous adsorption resin and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The viability of LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 was assessed using the CCK-8 assay. The presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was evaluated using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein-diacetate. The expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were detected using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and ELISA. Western blot was performed to analyze the protein expression of LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. Herein, SQS exhibited anti-inflammatory activity: 30 μg/mL of SQS significantly reduced ROS generation, inhibited the LPS-induced expression of iNOS and COX-2, and attenuated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. The anti-inflammatory activity was potentially mediated by inhibiting the phosphorylation of IκBα and p65 in the NF-κB signaling pathway and the phosphorylation of ERK and JNK in the MAPK signaling pathway. Accordingly, SQS could inhibit inflammation in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells by suppressing the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. This study demonstrated the potential application of SQS as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Transcriptome analysis reveals genes related to the synthesis and metabolism of cell wall polysaccharides in goji berry (Lycium barbarum L.) from various regions

BACKGROUND

In goji berries (Lycium barbarum L.), the cell wall properties and ripening environment affect fruit quality and their economic benefits. However, the mechanism underlying the cell wall remains to be fully elucidated.

RESULTS

The results showed that total sugar content was higher in Qinghai berries (13.87%, P < 0.01), whereas cellulose content peaked in Zhongning berries (28%, P < 0.05). Arabinose, galactose, and galacturonic acid were the principal components of the cell wall polysaccharides in goji berries. Among them, the content of galactose in Zhongning was significantly the highest (P < 0.05). Interestingly, we found that highly expressed β-glucosidase and lowly expressed endoglucanase led to cellulose accumulation by RNA-sequencing analysis. The expression analysis results suggested that pectate lyase and pectinesterase enzymes could be major factors related to higher galactose and galacturonic acid contents in Zhongning compared to in Qinghai and Gansu. The starch and sucrose metabolism pathway, pentose and glucuronate interconversions pathway, and galactose metabolism pathway played a significant role in cell wall polysaccharide synthesis and metabolism.

CONCLUSION

In the present study, we aimed to provide some insights into the cell wall on polysaccharide composition, structural features, and gene analysis in goji berries from Zhongning, Qinghai, and Gansu in China. These results might help to clarify the molecular function of the major genes in the cell wall polysaccharides of goji berries and provide a solid foundation for further study. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Front-face excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy combined with interpretable deep learning for the rapid identification of the storage year of Ningxia wolfberry

Ningxia wolfberry stored for many years may be disguised as fresh wolfberry by unscrupulous traders and sold for huge profits. In this work, the front-face excitation-emission matrix (FF-EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with interpretable deep learning was proposed to identify the storage year of Ningxia wolfberry in a lossless, fast and accurate way. Alternating trilinear decomposition (ATLD) algorithm was used to decompose the three-way data array obtained by Ningxia wolfberry samples, extracting the chemically meaningful information. Meanwhile, a convolutional neural network (CNN) model for the identification of the storage year of Ningxia wolfberry, called EEMnet, was proposed. The model successfully classified wolfberry samples from different storage years by extracting the subtle feature differences of the spectra, and the correct classification rate of the training set, test set and prediction set was more than 98%. In addition, a series of interpretability analyses were implemented to break the "black box" of the deep learning model. These results indicated that the method based on FF-EEM fluorescence spectroscopy combined with EEMnet could quickly and accurately identify the year of Ningxia wolfberry in a green way, providing a new idea for the identification of the storage years of Chinese medicinal materials.

Comparative Analysis of Polyphenols in Lycium barbarum Fruits Using UPLC-IM-QTOF-MS

Variety, geographical origin, and harvest season are important factors affecting the accumulation of polyphenols in Lycium barbarum. In this study, the effects of these factors on the polyphenolic components of this species were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Moreover, the in vitro antioxidant activities of fruit extracts from this species were evaluated. The total polyphenolic contents of L. barbarum fruits from Jinghe County in Xinjiang and Zhongning County in Ningxia were 5.52-11.72 and 7.06-9.37 mg (gallic acid equivalent)/g dry weight, while the total flavonoid contents of L. barbarum fruits from these regions were 12.52-30.29 and 12.67-20.77 mg (rutin equivalent)/g dry weight, respectively. Overall, 39 types of polyphenols were identified in the fruit extracts, including 26 flavonoids, 10 phenolic acids, and three tannins. Of these, 11 polyphenols were quantitatively analyzed, which revealed rutin to be the most dominant polyphenolic component in fruits from Jinghe and Zhongning. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the polyphenolic contents and antioxidant activities of L. barbarum fruit extracts, depending on the geographical origin, variety, and harvest season. The antioxidant activity of this species was found to be significantly positively correlated with the polyphenolic contents. This study provided scientific guidance for comprehensive applications of polyphenols from different varieties of L. barbarum from separate geographical origins.

Integrated Metabolome and Transcriptome during Fruit Development Reveal Metabolic Differences and Molecular Basis between Lycium barbarum and Lycium ruthenicum

Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) is a traditional cash crop in China and is well-known worldwide for its outstanding nutritional and medicinal value. Lycium ruthenicum is a close relative of Lycium barbarum but differs significantly in size, color, flavor and nutritional composition. To date, the metabolic differences between the fruits of the two wolfberry varieties and the genetic basis behind them are unclear. Here, we compared metabolome and transcriptome data of two kinds of wolfberry fruits at five stages of development. Metabolome results show that amino acids, vitamins and flavonoids had the same accumulation pattern in various developmental stages of fruit but that Lycium ruthenicum accumulated more metabolites than Lycium barbarum during the same developmental stage, including L-glutamate, L-proline, L-serine, abscisic acid (ABA), sucrose, thiamine, naringenin and quercetin. Based on the metabolite and gene networks, many key genes that may be involved in the flavonoid synthesis pathway in wolfberry were identified, including PAL, C4H, 4CL, CHS, CHI, F3H, F3'H and FLS. The expression of these genes was significantly higher in Lycium ruthenicum than in Lycium barbarum, indicating that the difference in the expression of these genes was the main reason for the variation in flavonoid accumulation between Lycium barbarum and Lycium ruthenicum. Taken together, our results reveal the genetic basis of the difference in metabolomics between Lycium barbarum and Lycium ruthenicum and provide new insights into the flavonoid synthesis of wolfberry.

In vitro antioxidant analysis of flavonoids extracted from Artemisia argyi stem and their anti-inflammatory activity in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages

In this study, flavonoids were successfully extracted from Artemisia argyi stem, and their yield reached 15.3 mg/g dry A. argyi stem. The flavonoid extract from A. argyi stem had a purity of 88.58 % (w/w), meanwhile, which also contained 1.57 % (w/w) carbohydrates, 2.04 % (w/w) proteins and 7.81 % (w/w) polyphenols, respectively. In vitro antioxidant activity analysis showed the increased scavenging effects of flavonoid extract from A. argyi stem on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azinobis-di-(3-ethyl-benzothiazolin-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt, hydroxyl, and superoxide radicals in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, the flavonoid extract from A. argyi stem exerted protective effects on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages via inhibiting the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, interleukin-1 beta, and nitric oxide free radicals. Overall, this work will provide guidance and help in the utilization of edible A. argyi as plant-based diet and its bioactive flavonoid extract as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredients to improve the function, nutrition, and healthiness of foods.