Transcriptome-wide identification of ARF gene family in medicinal plant Polygonatum kingianum and expression analysis of PkARF members in different tissues.

BACKGROUND: Polygonatum kingianum holds significant importance in Traditional Chinese Medicine due to its medicinal properties, characterized by its diverse chemical constituents including polysaccharides, terpenoids, flavonoids, phenols, and phenylpropanoids. The Auxin Response Factor (ARF) is a pivotal transcription factor known for its regulatory role in both primary and secondary metabolite synthesis. However, our understanding of the ARF gene family in P. kingianum remains limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: We employed RNA-Seq to sequence three distinct tissues (leaf, root, and stem) of P. kingianum. The analysis revealed a total of 31,558 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with 43 species of transcription factors annotated among them. Analyses via gene ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes demonstrated that these DEGs were predominantly enriched in metabolic pathways and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. The proposed temporal expression analysis categorized the DEGs into nine clusters, suggesting the same expression trends that may be coordinated in multiple biological processes across the three tissues. Additionally, we conducted screening and expression pattern analysis of the ARF gene family, identifying 12 significantly expressed PkARF genes in P. kingianum roots. This discovery lays the groundwork for investigations into the role of PkARF genes in root growth, development, and secondary metabolism regulation. CONCLUSION: The obtained data and insights serve as a focal point for further research studies, centred on genetic manipulation of growth and secondary metabolism in P. kingianum. Furthermore, these findings contribute to the understanding of functional genomics in P. kingianum, offering valuable genetic resources.

Combination of Polygonatum Rhizoma and Scutellaria baicalensis triggers apoptosis through downregulation of PON3-induced mitochondrial damage and endoplasmic reticulum stress in A549 cells.

OBJECTIVE: Scutellaria baicalensis (SB) and Polygonatum Rhizoma (PR), two traditional Chinese medicines, are both known to suppress cancer. However, the mechanism and effect of combined treatment of them for lung cancer are rarely known. Investigating the combined effect of SB and PR (hereafter referred to as SP) in potential mechanism of lung cancer is required. This study was to evaluate the inhibitory effects of SP on A549 cell growth and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS: According to the theory of Chinese medicine and network pharmacology, in the in vivo experiment, a mouse model of carcinoma in situ was constructed, and lung carcinoma in situ tissues were collected for proteomics analysis, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and CK19 immunohistochemistry. In the in vitro experiment, lung cancer A549 cells at logarithmic growth stage were taken, and the inhibitory effect of SP on the proliferation of A549 cells was detected by CCK8 method. The expression of PON3 was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot. In addition, the effect of SP on the induction of apoptosis in A549 cells and the changes of membrane potential and reactive oxygen species (ROS) content were detected by flow cytometry. The changes of PON3 content in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are observed by laser confocal microscopy, whereas the effects of SP on the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and ER stress-related proteins in A549 cells were examined by western blot. RESULT: By searching the Traditional Chinese Medicines of Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) (https://www.tcmspe.com/index.php) database and SymMap database, the respective target genes of PR and SB were mapped into protein network interactions, and using Venn diagrams to show 38 genes in common between PR and SB and lung cancer, SP was found to play a role in the treatment of lung cancer. In vivo experiments showed that in a lung carcinoma in situ model, lung tumor tissue was significantly lower in the SP group compared with the control group, and PON3 was shown to be downregulated by lung tissue proteomics analysis. The combination of SP was able to inhibit the proliferation of A549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner (p < .0001). The expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins and ER stress proteins were significantly increased and the expression levels of PON3 and anti-apoptosis-related proteins were decreased in A549 cells. At the same time, knockdown of PON3 could inhibit tumor cell proliferation (p < .0001). The combination of different concentrations of SP significantly induced apoptosis in A549 cells (p < .05; p < .0001), increased ROS content (p < .01), and damaged mitochondrial membrane potential of A549 cells (p < .05; p < .0001), and significantly increased the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins and ER stress proteins in lung cancer A549 cells. CONCLUSION: SP inhibits proliferation of lung cancer A549 cells by downregulating PON3-induced apoptosis in the mitochondrial and ER pathways.

Integrated Metabolomics and Transcriptomics Analysis of Flavonoid Biosynthesis Pathway in Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua.

Flavonoids, a class of phenolic compounds, are one of the main functional components and have a wide range of molecular structures and biological activities in Polygonatum. A few of them, including homoisoflavonoids, chalcones, isoflavones, and flavones, were identified in Polygonatum and displayed a wide range of powerful biological activities, such as anti-cancer, anti-viral, and blood sugar regulation. However, few studies have systematically been published on the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua. Therefore, in the present study, a combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis was performed on the leaf, stem, rhizome, and root tissues of P. cyrtonema to uncover the synthesis pathway of flavonoids and to identify key regulatory genes. Flavonoid-targeted metabolomics detected a total of 65 active substances from four different tissues, among which 49 substances were first study to identify in Polygonatum, and 38 substances were flavonoids. A total of 19 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) (five flavonols, three flavones, two dihydrochalcones, two flavanones, one flavanol, five phenylpropanoids, and one coumarin) were finally screened by KEGG enrichment analysis. Transcriptome analysis indicated that a total of 222 unigenes encoding 28 enzymes were annotated into three flavonoid biosynthesis pathways, which were "phenylpropanoid biosynthesis", "flavonoid biosynthesis", and "flavone and flavonol biosynthesis". The combined analysis of the metabolome and transcriptome revealed that 37 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) encoding 11 enzymes (C4H, PAL, 4CL, CHS, CHI, F3H, DFR, LAR, ANR, FNS, FLS) and 19 DAMs were more likely to be regulated in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. The expression of 11 DEGs was validated by qRT-PCR, resulting in good agreement with the RNA-Seq. Our studies provide a theoretical basis for further elucidating the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in Polygonatum.

Carbohydrate regulation response to cold during rhizome bud dormancy release in Polygonatum kingianum.

BACKGROUND: The rhizome of Polygonatum kingianum Coll. et Hemsl (P. kingianum) is a crucial traditional Chinese medicine, but severe bud dormancy occurs during early rhizome development. Low temperature is a positive factor affecting dormancy release, whereas the variation in carbohydrates during dormancy release has not been investigated systematically. Therefore, the sugar content, related metabolic pathways and gene co-expression were analysed to elucidate the regulatory mechanism of carbohydrates during dormancy release in the P. kingianum rhizome bud. RESULTS: During dormancy transition, starch and sucrose (Suc) exhibited opposing trends in the P. kingianum rhizome bud, representing a critical indicator of dormancy release. Galactose (Gal) and raffinose (Raf) were increased in content and synthesis. Glucose (Glc), cellulose (Cel), mannose (Man), arabinose (Ara), rhamnose (Rha) and stachyose (Sta) showed various changes, indicating their different roles in breaking rhizome bud dormancy in P. kingianum. At the beginning of dormancy release, Glc metabolism may be dominated by anaerobic oxidation (glycolysis followed by ethanol fermentation). After entering the S3 stage, the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) were may be more active possibly. In the gene co-expression network comprising carbohydrates and hormones, HYD1 was identified as a hub gene, and numerous interactions centred on STS/SUS were also observed, suggesting the essential role of brassinosteroids (BRs), Raf and Suc in the regulatory network. CONCLUSION: We revealed cold-responsive genes related to carbohydrate metabolism, suggesting regulatory mechanisms of sugar during dormancy release in the P. kingianum rhizome bud. Additionally, gene co-expression analysis revealed possible interactions between sugar and hormone signalling, providing new insight into the dormancy release mechanism in P. kingianum rhizome buds.

Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharide inhibits high glucose-induced oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and apoptosis in RPE cells.

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the major diabetic complications and remains the most common cause of adult blindness among patients with diabetes mellitus. Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharides (PSP) are a group important component of Polygonatum sibiricum (PS) with anti-diabetic activity. However, the effect and underlying mechanism of PSP on diabetic retinopathy remains unclear. We used high glucose (HG)-stimulated ARPE-19 cells to establish in vitro diabetic retinopathy model. Methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed to evaluate cell viability of ARPE-19 cells. The changes in the ROS production, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were detected to indicate oxidative stress. The secretion levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were detected by ELISA. The protein levels of TNF-α, IL-8, bcl-2, bax, nuclear Nrf2, and anti-hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) were detected by western blot analysis. Our results showed that HG treatment caused a significant reduction in cell viability of ARPE-19 cells. PSP treatment improved the reduced cell viability of ARPE-19 cells. PSP also attenuated HG-induced oxidative stress with decreased ROS production and MDA content, as well as increased the activities of SOD and GPx. In addition, HG significantly increased bax expression and caspase-3 activity, and decreased bcl-2 expression. However, these changes were mitigated by PSP treatment. Furthermore, PSP markedly induced the activation of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in HG-induced ARPE-19 cells. Knockdown of Nrf2 reversed the protective effects of PSP on HG-induced ARPE-19 cells. Taken together, these findings indicated that PSP protects ARPE-19 cells from HG-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell apoptosis through regulation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Transcriptomic responses to drought stress in Polygonatum kingianum tuber.

BACKGROUND: Polygonatum kingianum Coll. et Hemsl. is an important plant in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The extracts from its tubers are rich in polysaccharides and other metabolites such as saponins. It is a well-known concept that growing medicinal plants in semi-arid (or drought stress) increases their natural compounds concentrations. This study was conducted to explore the morpho-physiological responses of P. kingianum plants and transcriptomic signatures of P. kingianum tubers exposed to mild, moderate, and severe drought and rewatering. RESULTS: The stress effects on the morpho-physiological parameters were dependent on the intensity of the drought stress. The leaf area, relative water content, chlorophyll content, and shoot fresh weight decreased whereas electrolyte leakage increased with increase in drought stress intensity. A total of 53,081 unigenes were obtained; 59% of which were annotated. We observed that 1352 and 350 core genes were differentially expressed in drought and rewatering, respectively. Drought stress driven differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, and stilbenoid diarylheptanoid and gingerol biosynthesis, and carotenoid biosynthesis pathways. Pathways such as plant-pathogen interaction and galactose metabolism were differentially regulated between severe drought and rewatering. Drought reduced the expression of lignin, gingerol, and flavonoid biosynthesis related genes and rewatering recovered the tubers from stress by increasing the expression of the genes. Increased expression of carotenoid biosynthesis pathway related genes under drought suggested their important role in stress endurance. An increase in starch and sucrose biosynthesis was evident from transcriptomic changes under drought stress. Rewatering recovered the drought affected tubers as evident from the contrasting expression profiles of genes related to these pathways. P. kingianum tuber experiences an increased biosynthesis of sucrose, starch, and carotenoid under drought stress. Drought decreases the flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, gingerol, and lignin biosynthesis. These changes can be reversed by rewatering the P. kingianum plants. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide a transcriptome resource for P. kingianum and expands the knowledge on the effect of drought and rewatering on important pathways. This study also provides a large number of candidate genes that could be manipulated for drought stress tolerance and managing the polysaccharide and secondary metabolites' contents in P. kingianum.

Physiological and transcriptomic analyses to reveal underlying phenolic acid action in consecutive monoculture problem of Polygonatum odoratum.

BACKGROUND: The root rot of fragrant solomonseal (Polygonatum odoratum) has occurred frequently in the traditional P. odoratum cultivating areas in recent years, causing a heavy loss in yield and quality. The phenolic acids in soil, which are the exudates from the P. odoratum root, act as allelochemicals that contribute to the consecutive monoculture problem (CMP) of the medicinal plant. The aim of this study was to get a better understanding of P. odoratum CMP. RESULTS: The phenolic acid contents, the nutrient chemical contents, and the enzyme activities related to the soil nutrient metabolism in the first cropping (FC) soil and continuous cropping (CC) soil were determined, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to the regulation of the phenolic acids in roots were analyzed. The results showed that five low-molecule-weight phenolic acids were detected both in the CC soil and FC soil, but the phenolic acid contents in the CC soil were significantly higher than those in the FC soil except vanillic acid. The contents of the available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium in the CC soil were significantly decreased, and the activities of urease and sucrase in the CC soil were significantly decreased. The genomic analysis showed that the phenolic acid anabolism in P. odoratum in the CC soil was promoted. These results indicated that the phenolic acids were accumulated in the CC soil, the nutrient condition in the CC soil deteriorated, and the nitrogen metabolism and sugar catabolism of the CC soil were lowered. Meantime, the anabolism of phenolic acids was increased in the CC plant. CONCLUSIONS: The CC system promoted the phenolic acid anabolism in P. odoratum and made phenolic acids accumulate in the soil.

Integrated transcriptome and microRNA profiles analysis reveals molecular mechanisms underlying the consecutive monoculture problem of Polygonatum odoratum.

Polygonatum odoratum is a historically traditional Chinese medicine plant. However, the consecutive monoculture problem (CMP) widespread in other Chinese medicine limiting their cultivation on a large scale. In this study, the physiological data showed the adverse effect of CMP on the growth of P. odoratum under the consecutive cropping (CC) compared with the first cropping (FC). Then the high-throughput sequencing of miRNA and mRNA libraries of leaves and roots from FC and CC P. odoratum plants identified 671 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 184 differentially expressed miRNAs and revealed that the DEGs and target genes of the miRNAs were mainly involved in starch and sucrose metabolism, phenylpropanoid and brassinosteroid biosynthesis. The KEGG analysis revealed that the DEGs between CC and FC roots were enriched in the plant-pathogen interaction pathway. This study provided the expression regulation of genes related to CMP of P. odoratum but also suggested that CMP may result in the serious damage of pathogens to roots and cause the slow growth in the consecutive cropping plants.

Metabolomics study of polysaccharide extracts from Polygonatum sibiricum in mice based on 1 H NMR technology.

BACKGROUND: Polygonatum sibiricum Liliaceae perennial herb, as a commonly used medicine and food homologous plant, has been widely used in clinical practice of Chinese medicine since ancient times, with a history of 2000 years. As the main active ingredient, P. sibiricum polysaccharides have important pharmacological effects in blood sugar reduction and antitumor, antioxidant and liver protection. RESULTS: Mouse models of P. sibiricum polysaccharides were used in combination with 1 H NMR to investigate the metabolic regulation mechanism in mouse tissue and blood. The metabolite maps of the control group and the drug group in the liver had significant changes. The main differential metabolites were glucose 6-phosphate, inositol, lactose, glutamylglycine, galactose, rhamnose, cis-aconitic acid and histidine, indicating that there was definite correlation between the metabolic detection based on 1 H NMR and the metabolic characteristics of P. sibiricum. The common differential metabolites obtained by overall metabolism analysis were 3-hydroxybutyric acid, d-ribose, adenosine phosphate, inositol, fructose 6-phosphate, histidine, aspartic acid and cis-aconitic acid. CONCLUSIONS: This work forms the basis for identification of metabolic states combined with metabolic pathways, which could be used as diagnostic and prognostic indicators, providing therapeutic targets for new diseases. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

[Biosynthetic pathways of Polygonatum cyrtonema polysaccharide and diosgenin based on its transcriptomic data].

Polygonatum cyrtonema belongs to the plant family Liliaceae, and its dried rhizome is one of the sources of Chinese traditional medicine of Polygonati Rhizoma. It possesses the dual function as both medicine and food. Its main chemical components are polysaccharides and saponins. In order to understand the biosynthesis pathway of polysaccharides and diosgenin in P. cyrtonema, the corresponding transcriptomic data were obtained by extracting and sequencing the RNA of four parts of P. cyrtonema, namely, leaves, stems, rhizomes and roots. By adopting BGISEQ-500 sequencing platform, 42.03 Gb data were retrieved. Subsequently, the de novo assembly was carried out by Trinity software to obtain 137 233 transcripts, of which 68.13% of unigenes were annotated in seven databases including KEGG, GO, NR, NT, SwissProt, Pfam and KOG. Transcripts that may be involved in the biosynthesis of polysaccharides and diosgenin were analyzed by data mining. With help of qPCR, we validated expression data of four genes that were possibly involved in the biosynthesis of target metabolites. This experiment provides data for the study of biosynthetic pathways of P. cyrtonema secondary metabolites and the clarification of related structural gene functions.

The regulatory mechanism of chilling-induced dormancy transition from endo-dormancy to non-dormancy in Polygonatum kingianum Coll.et Hemsl rhizome bud.

KEY MESSAGE: We identified three dormant stages of Polygonatum kingianum and changes that occurred during dormancy transition in the following aspects including cell wall and hormones, as well as interaction among them. Polygonatum kingianum Coll.et Hemsl (P. kingianum) is an important traditional Chinese medicine, but the mechanism of its rhizome bud dormancy has not yet been studied systematically. In this study, three dormancy phases were induced under controlled conditions, and changes occurring during the transition were examined, focusing on phytohormones and the cell wall. As revealed by HPLC-MS (High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) analysis, the endo- to non-dormancy transition was association with a reduced abscisic acid (ABA)/gibberellin (GA3) ratio, a decreased level of auxin (IAA) and an increased level of trans-zeatin (tZR). Transmission electron microscopy showed that plasmodesmata (PDs) and the cell wall of the bud underwent significant changes between endo- and eco-dormancy. A total of 95,462 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified based on transcriptomics, and clustering and principal component analysis confirmed the different physiological statuses of the three types of bud samples. Changes in the abundance of transcripts associated with IAA, cytokinins (CTKs), GA, ABA, brassinolide (BR), jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene, salicylic acid (SA), PDs and cell wall-loosening factors were analysed during the bud dormancy transition in P. kingianum. Furthermore, nitrilase 4 (NIT4) and tryptophan synthase alpha chain (TSA1), which are related to IAA synthesis, were identified as hub genes of the co-expression network, and strong interactions between hormones and cell wall-related factors were observed. This research will provide a good model for chilling-treated rhizome bud dormancy in P. kingianum and cultivation of this plant.

Antimicrobial Homoisoflavonoids from the Rhizomes of Polygonatum verticillatum.

Three homoisoflavonoids, including a new compound, 5,7-dihydroxy-3-(4-methoxybenzyl)-8-methyl chroman-4-one (1), together with two known compounds, 5,7-dihydroxy-3-(2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzyl)-8-methylchroman-4-one (2) and 5,7-dihydroxy-3-(2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzyl)-chroman-4-one (3), were isolated from the rhizomes of Polygonatum verticillatum (L.) All. (P. verticillatum). Isolated compounds were characterized on the basis of UV, FT-IR, ESI-MS, and 1D-, 2D-NMR data. Further, different extract fractions and pure compounds from Polygonatum verticillatum were screened for their antimicrobial potential. Among three pure compounds, compound 2 was found most potent with good zone of microbial growth inhibition as compared to the standards.

De Novo Assembly and Analysis of Polygonatum sibiricum Transcriptome and Identification of Genes Involved in Polysaccharide Biosynthesis.

Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharides (PSPs) are used to improve immunity, alleviate dryness, promote the secretion of fluids, and quench thirst. However, the PSP biosynthetic pathway is largely unknown. Understanding the genetic background will help delineate that pathway at the molecular level so that researchers can develop better conservation strategies. After comparing the PSP contents among several different P. sibiricum germplasms, we selected two groups with the largest contrasts in contents and subjected them to HiSeq2500 transcriptome sequencing to identify the candidate genes involved in PSP biosynthesis. In all, 20 kinds of enzyme-encoding genes were related to PSP biosynthesis. The polysaccharide content was positively correlated with the expression patterns of ß-fructofuranosidase (sacA), fructokinase (scrK), UDP-glucose 4-epimerase (GALE), Mannose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferase (GMPP), and UDP-glucose 6-dehydrogenase (UGDH), but negatively correlated with the expression of Hexokinase (HK). Through qRT-PCR validation and comprehensive analysis, we determined that sacA, HK, and GMPP are key genes for enzymes within the PSP metabolic pathway in P. sibiricum. Our results provide a public transcriptome dataset for this species and an outline of pathways for the production of polysaccharides in medicinal plants. They also present more information about the PSP biosynthesis pathway at the molecular level in P. sibiricum and lay the foundation for subsequent research of gene functions.

Discrimination of Polygonatum species and identification of novel markers using (1) H NMR- and UPLC/Q-TOF MS-based metabolite profiling.

BACKGROUND: Rhizomes of Polygonatum species are commonly used as herbal supplements in Asia. They have different medicinal effects by species but have been misused and mixed owing to their similar taste and smell. Therefore accurate and reliable analytical methods to discriminate between Polygonatum species are required. RESULTS: In this study, global and targeted metabolite profiling using (1) H nuclear magnetic resonance ((1) H NMR) spectroscopy and ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF MS) was applied to discriminate between different Polygonatum species. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were used to classify and predict species of Polygonatum. Cross-validation derived from PLS-DA revealed good predictive accuracy. Polygonatum species were classified into unique patterns based on K-means clustering analysis. 4-Hydrobenzoic acid and trigonelline were identified as novel marker compounds and quantified accurately. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that metabolite profiling approaches coupled with chemometric analysis can be used to classify and discriminate between different species of various herbal medicines. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Research progress on medicinal components and pharmacological activities of polygonatum sibiricum.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Polygonatum sibiricum, commonly known as Siberian Solomon's seal, is a traditional herb widely used in various traditional medical systems, especially in East Asia. In ancient China, the use of polygonatum sibiricum in medicine and food was mentioned in Li Shizhen's Bencao Gangmu of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It was also used in history of India in Vedic medicine. The plant is rich in bioactive substances such as polysaccharides, saponins, flavonoid and alkaloids. AIM OF THE REVIEW: The aim of this review is to understand the pharmacological and pharmacokinetics research progress of the major components of polygonatum sibiricum, and to prospect its potential application and development in the treatment of various diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search against major online databases on the Web, including PubMed, ancient books, patents, PubMed, Wiley, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and others. We select the pharmacological process and mechanism of the main components of polygonatum sibiricum in a variety of diseases, and make a strict but careful supplement and in-depth elaboration to this review. RESULTS: Several studies have demonstrated the strong antioxidant properties of polygonatum extract, which can be attributed to the presence of flavonoids and other polyphenol compounds; for diabetes and other metabolic-related diseases, polygonatum saponins have particular advantages in regulating intestinal flora and lipoprotein concentration in organisms. In addition, the polysaccharides extracted from this plant have a strong anti-inflammatory effect, which is related to its ability to regulate proinflammatory cytokine and mediators. In the aspect of anti-tumor effect, polygonatum derivatives can induce cancer cell apoptosis mainly by adjusting the cell membrane potential and cell cycle. It is worth noting that the combined action of the main components of polygonatum also offers promising solutions for the treatment of the disease. CONCLUSION: Polygonatum polysaccharide has therapeutic effects on many diseases by adjusting cell signal pathways, polygonatum sibiricum have significant advantages in regulating intestinal flora, inducing apoptosis of tumor cells, activating antioxidant processes, etc. Further research and basic exploration are needed to prove the function and mechanisms of the main components of polygonatum sibiricum on related diseases. The study on the immunomodulatory properties of polygonatum revealed its potentiality of enhancing immune function, which made it an interesting subject for further exploration in the field of immunotherapy.

Interaction between lactic acid bacteria and Polygonatum sibiricum saponins and its application to microencapsulated co-delivery.

This study aimed to investigate the interaction between L.casei and L.bulgaricus with Polygonatum sibiricum saponins (PSS) and to explore the co-microencapsulation to reduce their loss rate during storage and consumption. 1% PSS was added to the culture broth, and it was found that the growth and metabolism of the strains were accelerated, especially in the compound probiotic group, indicating that PSS has potential for prebiotics. LC-MS observed significant differences in the composition and content of saponins in PSS. The metabolomics results suggest that the addition of PSS resulted in significant changes in the metabolites of probiotics. In addition, it was found that the combination of probiotics and PSS may have stronger hypoglycemic ability (ɑ-glucosidase, HepG2). Finally, a co-microencapsulated delivery system was constructed using zein and isomaltooligosaccharide. This system can achieve more excellent resistance of probiotics and PSS in gastrointestinal fluids, effectively transporting both to the small intestine.

Bioactive compounds from Polygonatum genus as anti-diabetic agents with future perspectives.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most serious health problems worldwide. Species in the genus Polygonatum are traditional food and medicinal plants, which play an important role in controlling blood glucose. In this reveiw, we systematically summarized the traditional and modern applications of the genus Polygonatum in DM, focused on the material bases of polysaccharides, flavonoids and saponins. We highlighted their mechanisms of action in preventing obese diabetes, improving insulin resistance, promoting insulin secretion, regulating intestinal microecology, inhibiting advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulation, suppressing carbohydrate digestion and obsorption and modulating gluconeogenesis. Based on the safety and efficacy of this 'medicinal food' and its utility in the prevention and treatment of diabetes, we proposed a research and development program that includs diet design (supplementary food), medical nutrition therapy and new drugs, which could provide new pathways for the use of natural plants in prevention and treatment of DM.

Effect of fermentation methods on the quality and in vitro antioxidant properties of Lycium barbarum and Polygonatum cyrtonema compound wine.

Lycium barbarum and Polygonatum cyrtonema are known for their medicinal, edible, and ornamental properties. The sensory indices of the novel high-quality L. barbarum and P. cyrtonema compound wine (LPCW) fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae RW and Debaryomyces hansenii AS2.45 under different inoculation methods were analyzed. The alcohol content of the LPCW ranged from 3.88 to 4.75 % under three mixed inoculations. The total saponin and total polysaccharide contents in LPCW inoculated with D. hansenii first and S. cerevisiae after 24 h were 4.39 mg/mL and 0.21 mg/mL, respectively. Ethyl butyrate, citronellol, and 3-(methylthio) propanol were unique metabolites of D. hansenii. 4-Methoxybenzoic acid was the core product of brewing of by S. cerevisiae. Except for wine inoculated with S. cerevisiae only, the acceptability scores of all the LPCW samples were higher than 7.3. Our data provided the foundation for the development and application of medicinal and food homologous substances in food fermentation.

Sortilin-induced lipid accumulation and atherogenesis are suppressed by HNF1b SUMOylation promoted by flavone of Polygonatum odoratum. / çŽ‰ç«¹é»„é ®é€šè¿‡ä¿ƒè¿›HNF1b蛋白的SUMO化修饰抑制sortilinä»‹å¯¼çš„è„‚è´¨ç§¯ç´¯åŠåŠ¨è„‰ç²¥æ ·ç¡¬åŒ–.

This study aims to investigate the impact of hepatocyte nuclear factor 1ß (HNF1b) on macrophage sortilin-mediated lipid metabolism and aortic atherosclerosis and explore the role of the flavone of Polygonatum odoratum (PAOA-flavone)-promoted small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) modification in the atheroprotective efficacy of HNF1b. HNF1b was predicted to be a transcriptional regulator of sortilin expression via bioinformatics, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, and chromatin immunoprecipitation. HNF1b overexpression decreased sortilin expression and cellular lipid contents in THP-1 macrophages, leading to a depression in atherosclerotic plaque formation in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-deficient (LDLR-/-) mice. Multiple SUMO1-modified sites were identified on the HNF1b protein and co-immunoprecipitation confirmed its SUMO1 modification. The SUMOylation of HNF1b protein enhanced the HNF1b-inhibited effect on sortilin expression and reduced lipid contents in macrophages. PAOA-flavone treatment promoted SUMO-activating enzyme subunit 1 (SAE1) expression and SAE1-catalyzed SUMOylation of the HNF1b protein, which prevented sortilin-mediated lipid accumulation in macrophages and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice. Interference with SAE1 abrogated the improvement in lipid metabolism in macrophage cells and atheroprotective efficacy in vivo upon PAOA-flavone administration. In summary, HNF1b transcriptionally suppressed sortilin expression and macrophage lipid accumulation to inhibit aortic lipid deposition and the development of atherosclerosis. This anti-atherosclerotic effect was enhanced by PAOA-flavone-facilitated, SAE1-catalyzed SUMOylation of the HNF1b protein.

Exploring the effects of the fermentation method on the quality of Lycium barbarum and Polygonatum cyrtonema compound wine based on LC-MS metabolomics.

This study aimed to examine the effect of fermentation methods on the quality of Lycium barbarum and Polygonatum cyrtonema compound wine (LPW) by combining non-targeted metabolomic approaches with chemometrics and path profiling to determine the chemical and metabolic properties of LPW. The results demonstrated that SRA had higher leaching rates of total phenols and flavonoids, reaching 4.20 ± 0.10 v/v ethanol concentration. According to LC-MS non-targeting genomics, the metabolic profiles of LPW prepared by different mixtures of fermentation methods (Saccharomyces cerevisiae RW; Debaryomyces hansenii AS2.45) of yeast differed significantly. Amino acids, phenylpropanoids, flavonols, etc., were identified as the differential metabolites between different comparison groups. The pathways of tyrosine metabolism, biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids, and metabolism of 2-oxocarboxylic acids enriched 17 distinct metabolites. SRA stimulated the production of tyrosine and imparted a distinctive saucy aroma to the wine samples, providing a novel research concept for the microbial fermentation-based production of tyrosine.