Genus Ribes Linn. (Grossulariaceae): A comprehensive review of traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and clinical applications.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The genus Ribes Linn., which belongs to the Grossulariaceae family, contains 160 species distributed mainly in temperate and cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere. There are 59 species in southwest, northwest and northeast China. Some species of Ribes have been used as traditional and local medicines for the treatment of glaucoma, cardiovascular disease, stomachache, hepatitis, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and other ailments. However, the data provided in recent years have not been collated and compared. AIM OF THE STUDY: This review aims to summarize the current status of ethnopharmacological uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, clinical applications, and pharmacokinetics of the genus Ribes to better understand the therapeutic potential of the genus Ribes in the future and hope to provide a relatively novel perspective for further clinical application on the genus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The literature on Ribes was collected through a series of scientific search engines including Elsevier, ACS, Springer, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Wiley, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and books. RESULTS: Ribes species have been used for detoxification, glaucoma, cardiovascular disease, stomachache, hepatitis, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and other ailments. These plants mainly contain phenolic glycosides, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, polysaccharides, etc. Most traditional uses are related to biological activity and have been confirmed by modern research. Pharmacological studies in vitro and in vivo revealed that the extracts and pure compounds possessed significant hypolipidemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antibacterial, and antiviral activity, eyesight protection and other effects. CONCLUSIONS: The traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and clinical applications described in this article explained that the Ribes species has numerous activities, and these findings will promote further action in the area of mechanism research. However, very few preclinical and clinical studies have focused on the toxicology and pharmacokinetics of crude extracts and pure compounds from the genus Ribes. Moreover, several clinical evidence to support the health benefits of Ribes plants. The development of new medicines based on Ribes species as ingredients may be restricted. The pharmacological activity, clinical efficacy and safety of Ribes species need to be verified by systematic and comprehensive preclinical studies and clinical trials.

The potency of commercial blackcurrant juices to induce relaxation in porcine coronary artery rings is not correlated to their antioxidant capacity but to their anthocyanin content.

OBJECTIVE: Polyphenol-rich products such as fruit juices have been found to have strong antioxidant capacities and to induce potent endothelium-dependent relaxation. We evaluated whether the commercial blackcurrant juices induced endothelium-dependent relaxation of isolated coronary arteries can be related to their antioxidant capacity and/or phenolic content. METHODS: Six different commercial blackcurrant juices were selected. Their main phenolic compounds were measured by ultra-performance liquid chromatography and antioxidant capacity was evaluated by spectrometric methods. Vascular reactivity studies with these juices were done using isolated porcine coronary arteries. RESULTS: The six different commercial blackcurrant juices induced relaxation ranging from 21% to 100% at the concentration of 0.5% volume per volume (v/v). The relaxation induced at 0.5% v/v was not correlated to their antioxidant capacity measured by either oxygen radical antioxidant capacity or DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assays and also not to the ascorbic acid, total polyphenols, total flavanols, and total phenolic acid contents. In contrast, the amplitude of the relaxation was correlated to the total anthocyanins content and the individual anthocyanin concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Correlations between relaxation amplitude and total anthocyanin or individual anthocyanin contents are of interest for the development of functional blackcurrant beverages with the potential to promote vascular protection.

Advances in functional research of antioxidants and organoleptic traits in berry crops.

Berry species are economically-important crops worldwide and represent an invaluable source of vitamins and other health-related compounds. Species belonging to the families Rosaceae, Ericaceae and Grossulariaceae provide the most popular fruits, showing a strong diversity in natural and breeding populations as to berry traits (fruit type, size, color, flavor, antioxidant capacity), resistance to a/biotic stress, adaptation to different environment/culture conditions. The small genome size of most diploid berry genera is a remarkable feature for last-generation genomics technologies, molecular genetics and functional studies. This review will cover the literature dealing with molecular research in berry crops, focusing on antioxidant- and flavor-related compounds.

Ether-linked biflavonoids from Quintinia acutifolia.

The New Zealand tree Quintinia acutifolia has yielded four biflavonoids, the new 2,3,2'',3''-tetrahydroochnaflavone (3), and its 7,7''-di-O-methyl derivative (1). The rare 7-O-methyl-2,3,2'',3''-tetrahydroochnaflavone (2) and 2'',3''-dihydroochnaflavone (4), both previously identified only from members of the Ochnaceae, were also isolated. Structures were determined by spectroscopic methods. This is the first report of biflavonoids from the Grossulariaceae.