Pharmacognostic Evaluation and HPLC-PDA and HS-SPME/GC-MS Metabolomic Profiling of Eleutherococcus senticosus Fruits

Evaluation of synergistic/antagonistic antibacterial activities of fatty oils from apricot, date, grape, and black seeds

The increasing antimicrobial resistance requires continuous investigation of new antimicrobial agents preferably derived from natural sources. New powerful antibacterial agents can be produced by simply combining oils that are known for their antibacterial activities. In this study, apricot seed oil (ASO), date seed oil (DSO), grape seed oil (GSO), and black seed oil (BSO) alone and in binary mixtures were assessed. Fatty acid profiles of individual oils and oil mixtures showed linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and linolenic acid contents. Linoleic acid was the most abundant fatty acid in all samples except for ASO, where oleic acid was the dominant one. GSO showed the highest total phenolic content while ASO showed the lowest one. Antibacterial screening was performed against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Results showed antibacterial activity in all oils against tested strains except for ASO against S. aureus. Highest antibacterial activity recorded was for ASO against P. mirabilis. ASO-GSO mixture (AG) was the best mixture where it showed synergistic interactions against all strains except P. aeruginosa. In conclusion, seed oil mixtures are likely to show promising antibacterial activities against specific strains.

Eleutherococcus divaricatus Fruits Decrease Hyaluronidase Activity in Blood Serum and Protect from Antioxidative Damages in In Vitro Model

Fruits are very important dietary components and a source of biologically active compounds used in nutritional pharmacology. Particularly due to the presence of polyphenolic compounds, fruits play an important role in the prevention of diseases of civilization. Therefore, it is important to study the phytochemicals and biological activity of fruits, especially those with a long-standing use in ethnomedicine. In this study, we determined the chemical profile and biological activity of a methanolic extract of the Eleutherococcus divaricatus fruits. Amongst nine polyphenols studied, only chlorogenic acid, protocatechuic acid, and eleutheroside E have been detected. The extract showed a weak anti-hyaluronidase activity from bovine testicular in a range of 9.06-37.70% and quite high for human serum hyaluronidase from children diagnosed with acute leukemia in a range of 76-86%. A weak anti-tyrosinase activity was obtained in a range of 2.94-12.46%. Moreover, the extract showed antioxidant properties against DPPH radical, ABTS radical, and O2•-. In addition, the antioxidant activity of the extract was evaluated by FRAP assay and Fe2+ ion chelation assay. These preliminary studies partially justify the traditional use of the plant in inflammatory- and immune-related diseases, in which hyaluronidase and free radicals can participate. A difference in human serum hyaluronidase inhibition may result from the inter-patient variability. Regardless of that, the results mean that polyphenolic compounds may stimulate activity of hyaluronidase, as well as to protect cells from the oxidative damages. However, further studies in ex vivo and in vivo models are needed, including blood isolated from a larger number of patients.

Characterization of effective constituents in Acanthopanax senticosus fruit for blood deficiency syndrome based on the chinmedomics strategy

The fruit of Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. and Maxim.) has been newly developed for the treatment of blood deficiency syndrome clinically, but the effective constituents are still unclear, restricting its quality control and the new medicinal development based on it. This study elucidated the efficacy of A. senticosus fruit (ASF) for treating blood deficiency syndrome and accurately characterize the constituents. Chinmedomics strategy was used to identify the metabolic biomarkers of the model and the overall effect of ASF was evaluated based on the biomarker when it showed intervention effects for blood deficiency syndrome. ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to analyze the components in the blood absorbed from A. senticosus fruit, and the components highly relevant to the biomarker are regarded as potential effective constituents for blood deficiency syndrome. Twenty-two of the 28 urine metabolites of blood deficiency syndrome were significantly regulated by A. senticosus fruit, 97 compounds included 20 prototype components, and 77 metabolites were found in vivo under the acting condition. The highly relevant constituents were isofraxidin, eleutheroside B, eleutheroside B1, eleutheroside E, and caffeic acid, which might be the effective constituents of A. senticosus fruit. It is a promising new medicinal resource that can be used for treating blood deficiency syndrome.

SPME-GC-MS combined with chemometrics to assess the impact of fermentation time on the components, flavor, and function of Laoxianghuang

Laoxianghuang, fermented from Citrus medica L. var. Sarcodactylis Swingle of the Rutaceae family, is a medicinal food. The volatiles of Laoxianghuang fermented in different years were obtained by solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (SPME-GC–MS). Meanwhile, the evolution of its component-flavor function during the fermentation process was explored in depth by combining chemometrics and performance analyses. To extract the volatile compounds from Laoxianghuang, the fiber coating, extraction time, and desorption temperature were optimized in terms of the number and area of peaks. A polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) with a thickness of 65 μm fiber, extraction time of 30 min, and desorption temperature of 200 °C were shown to be the optimal conditions. There were 42, 44, 52, 53, 53, and 52 volatiles identified in the 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th, 15th, and 20th years of fermentation of Laoxianghuang, respectively. The relative contents were 97.87%, 98.50%, 98.77%, 98.85%, 99.08%, and 98.36%, respectively. Terpenes (mainly limonene, γ-terpinene and cymene) displayed the highest relative content and were positively correlated with the year of fermentation, followed by alcohols (mainly α-terpineol, β-terpinenol, and γ-terpineol), ketones (mainly cyclohexanone, D(+)-carvone and β-ionone), aldehydes (2-furaldehyde, 5-methylfurfural, and 1-nonanal), phenols (thymol, chlorothymol, and eugenol), esters (bornyl formate, citronellyl acetate, and neryl acetate), and ethers (n-octyl ether and anethole). Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) showed a closer relationship between the composition of Laoxianghuang with similar fermentation years of the same gradient (3rd-5th, 8th-10th, and 15th-20th). Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) VIP scores and PCA-biplot showed that α-terpineol, γ-terpinene, cymene, and limonene were the differential candidate biomarkers. Flavor analysis revealed that Laoxianghuang exhibited wood odor from the 3rd to the 10th year of fermentation, while herb odor appeared in the 15th and the 20th year. This study analyzed the changing pattern of the flavor and function of Laoxianghuang through the evolution of the composition, which provided a theoretical basis for further research on subsequent fermentation.

Characterization of effective phytochemicals in traditional Chinese medicine by mass spectrometry

Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have been widely used in clinical and healthcare applications around the world. The characterization of the phytochemical components in TCMs is very important for studying the therapeutic mechanism of TCMs. In the analysis process, sample preparation and instrument analysis are key steps to improve analysis performance and accuracy. In recent years, chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (MS) has been widely used for the separation and detection of trace components in complex TCM samples. This article reviews various sample preparation techniques and chromatography-MS techniques, including the application of gas chromatography-MS and liquid chromatography-MS and other MS techniques in the characterization of phytochemicals in TCM materials and Chinese medicine products. This article also describes a new ambient ionization MS method for rapid and high-throughput analysis of TCM components.

Memory enhancement effect of saponins from Eleutherococcus senticosus leaves and blood-brain barrier-permeated saponins profiling using a pseudotargeted monitoring strategy

Dried Eleutherococcus senticosus leaves (ESL), also known as Siberian ginseng tea, are beneficial for human neural disorders. Our previous studies showed that the aqueous extract of ESL enhanced memory in...