Comparison of the Chemical Profiles and Antioxidant Activities of Different Parts of Cultivated Cistanche deserticola Using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry and a 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-Based Assay

Advance in Cistanche deserticola Y. C. Ma. polysaccharides: Isolation, structural characterization, bioactivities and application: A review

Cistanche deserticola Y. C. Ma (CD), is mainly distributed in the regions of China (Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu), Mongolia, Iran and India. Cistanche deserticola polysaccharide (CDPs), as one of the main components and a crucial bioactive substance of CD, has a variety of pharmacological activities, including immunomodulatory, anti-aging, anti-oxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-osteoporotic, anti-inflammatory, intestinal flora regulatory effects. Many polysaccharides have been successfully obtained in the last three decades from CD. However, there is currently no comprehensive review available concerning CDPs. Considering the importance of CDPs for biological study and drug discovery, the present review aims to systematically summarize the recent major studies on extraction and purification methods of polysaccharides from CD, as well as the characterization of their chemical structure, biological activity, structure-activity relationship, and the application of CDPs in pharmaceutical field. Meanwhile, the shortcomings of CDPs research are further discussed in detail, and new valuable insights for future CDPs research as therapeutic agents and functional foods are proposed.

Rapid screening and target-guided isolation of antioxidants from German chamomile by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled with off-line two-dimensional high-speed countercurrent chromatography

German chamomile is one of the most effective herbal elements used in anti-allergic products and as an antioxidant. Herein, the antioxidant activity of different extract fractions of German chamomile was initially evaluated using an off-line 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl spectrophotometric assay. The ethyl acetate extract demonstrated the highest efficacy in scavenging free radicals. Based on this, a rapid screening and separation method using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography combined with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay was implemented to identify antioxidants in the ethyl acetate fraction of German chamomile flowers. Ten potential radical scavengers were tentatively screened from German chamomile using a target-guided isolating approach with off-line two-dimensional high-speed countercurrent chromatography and the structures of the compounds were analyzed and identified. Ultimately, 10 radical scavengers were obtained from the ethyl acetate extract with a purity quotient exceeding 90%. The results demonstrated the effectiveness and reproducibility of this method for isolating potential antioxidants from complex mixtures in a targeted manner. This strategy can be applied to the target-guided isolation of complex mixtures of natural products with broad K-values and similar structures.

Comparative analysis of chemical components in fruits of Chebulae Fructus and its pulp based on chromatographic technology coupled with multivariate chemometric methods

Chebulae Fructus, was extensively used as a food supplement and medicinal herb, which contained two medicinal forms corresponding to the mature fruit of Chebulae Fructus (CF) and CF pulp. They were widely used in the Chinese clinical medicine and it played a significant role in the Mongolian and Tibetan medicine for the treatment of sore throat, asthma, diarrhea and other diseases. Both of them were recorded in the 2020 Edition (Volume I) of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. However, the chemical components of CF and CF pulp have not been holistically explored, which seriously hindered its quality evaluation. This study investigated the overall chemical profile of the CF and CF pulp using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS) and ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Sixty-four chemical components were tentatively identified, and 13 components were quantified in Chebulae Fructus. Furthermore, multivariate chemometric methods were applied to compare the differences among CF samples, and all samples were classified by orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) based on the 13 quantified compounds. The results showed that CF and CF pulp were clustered in two different areas. Ellagic acid, chebulagic acid, chebulinic acid, corilagin and pentagalloyl glucose were selected as the significant constituents to different of CF and CF pulp. LC-MS coupled with chemometrics strategy analysis could comprehensively evaluate the holistic quality of CF, which provided a necessary information for the rational development and utilization of CF and CF pulp resource.

Echinacoside: A promising active natural products and pharmacological agents

Echinacoside, a natural phenylethanoid glycoside, was discovered and isolated from the garden plant Echinacea angustifolia DC., belonging to the Compositae family, approximately sixty years ago. Extensive investigations have revealed that it possesses a wide array of pharmacologically beneficial activities for human health, particularly notable for its neuroprotective and anticancer activity. Several crucial concerns surfaced, encompassing the recognition of active metabolites that exhibited inadequate bioavailability in their prototype form, the establishment of precise molecular signal pathways or targets associated with the aforementioned effects of echinacoside, and the scarcity of dependable clinical trials. Hence, the question remains unanswered as to whether scientific research can effectively utilize this natural compound. To support future studies on this natural product, it is imperative to provide a systematic overview and insights into potential future prospects. The current review provides a comprehensive analysis of the existing knowledge on echinacoside, encompassing its wide distribution, structural diversity and metabolism, diverse therapeutic applications, and improvement of echinacoside bioavailability for its potential utilization.

Studies on Cistanches Herba: A Bibliometric Analysis

As a famous tonic herb, Cistanches Herba is known for its broad medicinal functions, especially its hormone balancing, anti-aging, anti-dementia, anti-tumor, anti-oxidative, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective effects. This study aims to provide a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of studies on Cistanche and to identify research hotspots and frontier topics on the genus. Based on the metrological analysis software CiteSpace, 443 Cistanche related papers were quantitatively reviewed. The results indicate that 330 institutions from 46 countries have publications in this field. China was the leading country in terms of research importance and number of publication (335 articles). In the past decades, studies on Cistanche have mainly focused on its rich active substances and pharmacological effects. Although the research trend shows that Cistanche has grown from an endangered species to an important industrial plant, its breeding and cultivation continue to be important areas for research. In the future, the application of Cistanche species as functional foods may be a new research trend. In addition, active collaborations among researchers, institutions, and countries are expected.

Revealing color change and drying mechanisms of pulsed vacuum steamed Cistanche deserticola through bioactive components, microstructural and starch gelatinization properties

Cistanche deserticola is a famous herbal medicine and has been used worldwide for its kidney-tonifying and anti-aging values. This study investigated the effects of pulsed vacuum steaming (PVS) on bioactive phenylethanoid glycosides (PhGs), total soluble sugars, polysaccharides, color, drying characteristics, microstructure, and starch gelatinization properties of Cistanche deserticola. PVS pretreatment significantly increased PhGs and soluble sugar content while reduced the polysaccharides content. And increasing the material core temperature to 75 °C at the largest diameter was proposed as the optimal steaming condition and the PhGs content was increased by 1.11 times compared with that by atmospheric steaming. The color of steamed samples changed to oily black due to Maillard reaction. PhGs content was significantly (P < 0.05) positively correlated with total color difference (ΔE). Steaming until the ΔE value of 15.95 could achieve the maximum accumulation of PhGs, corresponding to the highest increasing ratio of echinacoside and acteoside. Starch was completely gelatinized and formed a barrier layer adhering to the cell surface when the material core temperature reached 75 °C at the largest diameter, explaining why after steaming the Cistanche deserticola drying time was prolonged by 85.71 %. The study can provide an innovative steaming technology and optimal process parameters for obtaining high-quality Cistanche deserticola decoction pieces, as well as propose a non-destructive testing method to quickly predict PhGs content based on color parameters during the steaming process.

Effect of High-Humidity Hot Air Impingement Steaming on Cistanche deserticola Slices: Drying Characteristics, Weight Loss, Microstructure, Color, and Active Components

Cistanche deserticola is one of the most precious herbal medicines and is widely used in the pharmaceutical and healthy food industries. Steaming is an important step prior to drying in the processing of C. deserticola. This research investigated the effects of high-humidity hot air impingement steaming (HHAIS) parameters such as temperature, time, and relative humidity (RH) on drying characteristics, weight loss, color, microstructure, and active components of C. deserticola slices. The results showed that the steaming process caused a weight loss in C. deserticola; however, increasing the RH reduced the weight loss. Starch gelatinization observed from the microstructure of the steamed samples explained their long drying time. The Page model can well fit the drying process with a high R² (>0.956) under the drying conditions of 60°C and 6 m/s. Steaming increased the content of phenylethanoid glycosides, and the highest content was obtained at 95°C and 60% RH for 20 min, 75°C and 70% RH for 20 min, and 75°C and 60% RH for 30 min. The steamed samples appeared in an oil black color. When the color difference (ΔE) values were in the range of 16.79–20.12, the contents of echinacoside and acteoside reached the maximum. Steaming at 95°C and 60% RH for 20 min, 75°C and 70% RH for 20 min, and 75°C and 60% RH for 30 min are the optimum process conditions. The results from this work provide innovative steaming technology and suitable processing parameters for producing C. deserticola decoction pieces with a high quality, which will broaden its potential application in the functional health food industry.

Cistanche promotes the adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes

Cistanche deserticola Ma (cistanche) is a traditional herb with a wide range of therapeutic properties. However, no evidence of cistanche’s effect on adipogenesis has been found. The effect of cistanche that promotes the adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes was proved by using MTT spectrophotometry, Nile Red staining, Oil Red O staining and transcriptome sequencing technology. The mRNA level of key transcription factors for adipogenesis such as PPAR, AP2 and LPL were examined by RT-PCR. The results showed that the intracellular lipid content in cistanche treated cells were notably increased when compared with the non-treated cells. Between the differentiation and cistanche treated groups, the expression of adipogenesis related genes such as grow hormone releasing hormone (Ghrp), BCL2/adenovirus E1B interacting protein 3 (Bnip3) and Gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptor (Gipr) were significantly increased. Our findings also verified that cistanche promoted adipogenesis, which was accompanied by up-regulated level of Bnip3 and PPAR. This study could uncover new signaling pathways involved in adipogenesis regulation.

Widely Targeted Metabolomics Analysis to Reveal Transformation Mechanism of Cistanche Deserticola Active Compounds During Steaming and Drying Processes

Cistanche deserticola is one of the most precious plants, traditionally as Chinese medicine, and has recently been used in pharmaceutical and healthy food industries. Steaming and drying are two important steps in the processing of Cistanche deserticola. Unfortunately, a comprehensive understanding of the chemical composition changes of Cistanche deserticola during thermal processing is limited. In this study, ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS)-based widely targeted metabolomics analysis was used to investigate the transformation mechanism of Cistanche deserticola active compounds during steaming and drying processes. A total of 776 metabolites were identified in Cistanche deserticola during thermal processing, among which, 77 metabolites were differentially regulated (p < 0.05) wherein 39 were upregulated (UR) and 38 were downregulated (DR). Forty-seven (17 UR, 30 DR) and 30 (22 UR, 8 DR) differential metabolites were identified during steaming and drying, respectively. The most variation of the chemicals was observed during the process of steaming. Metabolic pathway analysis indicated that phenylpropanoid, flavonoid biosynthesis, and alanine metabolism were observed during steaming, while glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, thiamine metabolism, and unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis were observed during drying. The possible mechanisms of the chemical alterations during thermal processing were also provided by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Furthermore, the blackening of the appearance of Cistanche deserticola mainly occurred in the steaming stage rather than the drying stage, which is associated with the metabolism of the amino acids. All results indicated that the formation of active compounds during the processing of Cistanche deserticola mainly occurred in the steaming stage.

Cistanches Herba, from an endangered species to a big brand of Chinese medicine

Cistanches Herba (CH, Chinese name: Roucongrong), is a very precious, tonic Chinese medicine. Cistanche deserticola and Cistanche tubulosa are the two commonly used species and authenticated in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Due to the parasitic nature of Cistanche plants, the wild source was once endangered and listed in the Appendix II of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. However, after continuously struggling in the past decades, CH has grown up to a big brand of Chinese medicine featured with the cultivation area as 1.26 million mu, the annual output as 6000 tons, and the related industrial output value as more than 20 billion China Yuan, attributing to large-scale cultivation and in-depth phytochemical and pharmacological investigations. Noteworthily, great achievements have reached concerning the research and development of relevant products, such as modern drugs, traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, and dietary supplements. The current review summarizes the research progresses concerning the distribution and cultivation, phytochemistry, pharmacology, metabolism and product development of CH in the past decades, and the emerging challenges and developing prospects are discussed as well.

Regulatory relationship between quality variation and environment of Cistanche deserticola in three ecotypes based on soil microbiome analysis

The environment affects the composition and function of soil microbiome, which indirectly influences the quality of plants. In this study, 16S amplicon sequencing was used to reveal the differences in soil microbial community composition of Cistanche deserticola in three ecotypes (saline-alkali land, grassland and sandy land). Through the correlation analysis of microbial community abundance, phenylethanoid glycoside contents and ecological factors, the regulatory relationship between microbial community and the quality variation of C. deserticola was expounded. The metabolic function profile of soil microbiome was predicted using Tax4Fun. Data showed that the soil microbial communities of the three ecotypes were significantly different (AMOVA, P < 0.001), and the alpha diversity of grassland soil microbial community was the highest. Core microbiome analysis demonstrated that the soil microbial communities of C. deserticola were mostly have drought, salt tolerance, alkali resistance and stress resistance, such as Micrococcales and Bacillales. The biomarkers, namely, Oceanospirillales (saline-alkali land), Sphingomonadales (grassland) and Propionibacteriales (sandy land), which can distinguish three ecotype microbial communities, were excavated through LEfSe and random forest. Correlation analysis results demonstrated that 2'-acetylacteoside is positively correlated with Oceanospirillales in saline-alkali land soil. The metabolic function profiles displayed highly enriched metabolism (carbohydrate and amino acid metabolisms) and environmental information processing (membrane transport and signal transduction) pathways. Overall, the composition and function of soil microbiomes were found to be important factors to the quality variation of C. deserticola in different ecotypes. This work provided new insight into the regulatory relationship amongst the environment, soil microbial community and plant quality variation.

Metabolome and transcriptome profiling reveals quality variation and underlying regulation of three ecotypes for Cistanche deserticola

Cistanche deserticola is a plant used both as food and medicine. We are interested in understanding how C. deserticola responds to environmental conditions. Samples were collected from three ecotypes grown in saline-alkali land, grassland and sandy land. Transcriptome and metabolome analysis were performed by using RNA-seq and LC-ESI-MS/MS. Among 578 metabolites identified, 218, 209 and 215 compounds were found differentially produced among the three ecotypes. Particularly, 2'-acetylacteoside, belonging to phenylethanoid glycosides (PhGs) is the most significantly differentially produced with a VIP > 0.5 and fold change > 2, representing a potential chemical marker to distinguish the three ecotypes. RNA-Seq analysis revealed 52,043 unigenes, and 947, 632 and 97 of them were found differentially expressed among the three ecotypes. Analysis of the correlation between the metabolome profiles and transcriptome profiles among three ecotypes identified that the 12 key genes related to PhGs biosynthesis were differentially expressed. Particularly, the expression of PAL, ALDH and GOT genes were significantly up-regulated in saline-alkali land compared to the other two. In summary, we found PhGs content was higher in saline-alkali land compared with other ecotypes. This is likely due to the up-regulation of the PhGs biosynthetic genes in response to the saline-alkali conditions.

An Integrated Approach to Characterize Intestinal Metabolites of Four Phenylethanoid Glycosides and Intestinal Microbe-Mediated Antioxidant Activity Evaluation In Vitro Using UHPLC-Q-Exactive High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry and a 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-Based Assay

Intestinal bacteria have a significant role in metabolism and the pharmacologic actions of traditional Chinese medicine active ingredients. Phenylethanoid glycosides (PhGs), as typical phenolic natural products, possess wide bioactivities, but low oral bioavailability. The aim of this work was to elucidate the metabolic mechanism underlying PhGs in the intestinal tract and screen for more active metabolites. In this study, a rapid and reliable method using an effective post-acquisition approach based on advanced ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (Q-Exactive-HRMS) provided full MS and HCD MS² data. Thermo Scientific™ Compound Discoverer™ software with a Fragment Ion Search (FISh) function in one single workflow was developed to investigate the intestinal microbial metabolism of four typical PhGs. Furthermore, antioxidant activity evaluation of PhGs and their related metabolites was simultaneously carried out in combination with a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay to understand how intestinal microbiota transformations modulate biological activity and explore structure–activity relationships (SARs). As a result, 26 metabolites of poliumoside, 42 metabolites of echinacoside, 42 metabolites of tubuloside, and 46 metabolites of 2′-acetylacteoside were identified. Degradation, reduction, hydroxylation, acetylation, hydration, methylation, and sulfate conjugation were the major metabolic pathways of PhGs. Furthermore, the degraded metabolites with better bioavailability had potent antioxidant activity that could be attributed to the phenolic hydroxyl groups. These findings may enhance our understanding of the metabolism, pharmacologic actions, and real active forms of PhGs.