Standardization, in-silico and in-vivo safety assessment of methanol extract of Ziziphus mauritiana Lam leaves.

Ziziphus mauritana Lam leaves were used to treat asthma, diabetes, pain, and inflammation in the Indian traditional system of medicine. The leaves of the Ziziphus mauritiana Lam were consumed as a vegetable in Indonesia and India. The present study aims to predict the pharmacokinetic properties of flavonoids identified & quantified through U(H)PLC and to evaluate the safety of methanol extract of Ziziphus mauritana Lam leaves (MEZ) in rats. A U(H)PLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS was performed to identify flavonoids present in MEZ and quantified using U(H)PLC method. The in-silico ADME properties of the flavonoids were analyzed using Schrodinger Maestro software. The acute oral toxicity study was performed by administering a single dose of MEZ (5000 mg/kg) in female rats and observed for 14 days. The sub-chronic studies were carried out by oral administration of MEZ at 500, 750, and 1000 mg/kg daily for 90 days. The changes in hematological parameters, clinical biochemistry, and histopathology were observed after the treatment period. Eight flavonoids rutin, kaempferol, luteolin, myricetin, catechin, and apigenin were identified from were identified in UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis. These results showed the highest amount of luteolin (5.41 µg/ml) and kaempferol (4.02 µg/ml) present in MEZ. No signs of toxicity or mortality were observed in acute toxicity studies. In the sub-chronic studies, data showed that MEZ does not produce any changes in hematological and clinical biochemical parameters compared to control rats. MEZ (1000 mg/kg) significantly (p < 0.05) reduced total cholesterol, triglycerides, in male rats, which was more prominent on day 90. The histopathological analysis also revealed no changes in the vital organs. These results conclude that MEZ was considered safe and well-tolerated in rats.

Identification of two bitter components in Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. and exploration of their bitter taste mechanism through receptor hTAS2R14.

Bitterness is an inherent organoleptic characteristic affecting the flavor of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. In this study, the vital bitter components of Z. bungeanum were concentrated through solvent extraction, sensory analysis, silica gel chromatography, and thin-layer chromatographic techniques and subsequently identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Two components with the highest bitterness intensities (BIs), such as 7-methoxycoumarin and 8-prenylkaempferol were selected. The bitter taste perceived thresholds of 7-methoxycoumarin and 8-prenylkaempferol were 0.062 mmol/L and 0.022 mmol/L, respectively. Moreover, the correlation between the contents of the two bitter components and the BIs of Z. bungeanum were proved. The results of siRNA and flow cytometry showed that 7-methoxycoumarin and 8-prenylkaempferol could activate the bitter receptor hTAS2R14. The results concluded that 7-methoxycoumarin and 8-prenylkaempferol contribute to the bitter taste of Z. bungeanum.

LC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS-based assessment of the bioactive compounds in fresh and fermented caper (Capparis spinosa) buds and berries.

The main objective of this study was to compare bioactive compounds and other important quality parameters of fresh and fermented caper buds and berries. Fresh samples were fermented using dry-salted and brined techniques. The higher phenolic content was determined in the fresh (1843.71 mg/100 g DW) and fermented buds (1198.54-1539.49 mg/100 g DW) rather than the berries (29.72-40.75 mg/100 g DW). Quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, and quercetin-O-galloly-O-hexoside were the principal phenolic components in fresh and fermented buds while quercetin-3-O-rutinoside in fresh and fermented berries. The amounts of isorhamnetin, quercetin, and kaempferol increased in fermented buds and berries compared to fresh samples. Similarly, antioxidant capacity of buds was found to be markedly higher than berries. As for sugar compounds, it was found that fructose in buds (1.56-3.23 g/100 g DW) and glucose in berries (1.96-6.38 g/100 g DW) had the highest amount. When total phenolics and antioxidant properties were evaluated, it was observed that they were better preserved in the dry-salted samples than the brined samples.

Chemical components from the haulm of Artemisia selengensis and the inhibitory effect on glycation of ß-lactoglobulin.

Artemisia selengensis (AS) has been traditionally used as both food and medicine for thousands of years in China. In our studies, l-tryptophan was first isolated from the haulm of AS together with luteolin, rutin, and kaempferol-3-O-glucuronide. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including HRMS, 1D and 2D NMR. Three flavonoid compounds showed satisfactory suppression effects on the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in ß-lactoglobulin-lactose/MGO/GO model systems, and their anti-glycation activities exhibited a dose-dependent manner. Among these compounds, kaempferol-3-O-glucuronide was demonstrated to be the strongest inhibitor against the formation of AGEs.

Antioxidant changes of leek (Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum) during spontaneous fermentation of the white shaft and green leaves.

BACKGROUND: Leek is grown for its thickened cylindrical white shaft made up of long leaf bases. Despite the potentially valuable nutritional profile of the green leaves, a large portion remains unused owing its restricted culinary applications. This large quantity of this plant biomass could be valorized given an adequate stabilization method. In this study, we examined leek fermentation with regard to antioxidant changes. RESULTS: The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) increased by 62% when the green leaves were fermented for 21 days, while 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity did not increase significantly. Fermentation resulted in an increase of endogenous polyphenolic compounds such as ferulic acid, astragalin, luteolin and naringenin. Moreover, fermentation stimulated the production of a series of polyphenolic compounds that were not present in the fresh leek. The flavour precursors in leek, i.e. methiin and isoalliin, were reduced by 91-93% and 100%, respectively, when spontaneous fermentation was allowed to occur on the white shaft and green leaves. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that application of fermentation resulted in a higher ORAC value and polyphenol content of the leek plant, especially in the green leaves. These results indicate the nutritional relevance of fermentation, which hold promise as a stabilization technique.

Assessment of phytochemical content in human milk during different stages of lactation.

OBJECTIVE: The present study reports the presence of several carotenoids and flavonoids in human milk samples. METHODS: Samples were collected from 17 women who delivered healthy term babies (≥ 37 wk of gestation) at 1-, 4-, and 13-wk postpartum intervals. RESULTS: Epicatechin (63.7-828.5 nmol/L), epicatechin gallate (55.7-645.6 nmol/L), epigallocatechin gallate (215.1-2364.7 nmol/L), naringenin (64.1-722.0 nmol/L), kaempferol (7.8-71.4 nmol/L), hesperetin (74.8-1603.1 nmol/L), and quercetin (32.5-108.6 nmol/L) were present in human milk samples with high inter-/intraindividual variability. With the exception of kaempferol, the mean flavonoid content in human milk was not statistically different among lactation stages. In contrast, carotenoids α-carotene (59.0-23.2 nmol/L), ß-carotene (164.3-88.0 nmol/L), α-cryptoxanthin (30.6-13.5 nmol/L), ß-cryptoxanthin (57.4-24.8 nmol/L), zeaxanthin (46.3-21.4 nmol/L), lutein (121.2-56.4 nmol/L), and lycopene (119.9-49.5 nmol/L) significantly decreased from weeks 1 to 13 of lactation. CONCLUSION: The observed differences in the relative concentrations of the two phytochemical classes in human milk may be a result of several factors, including dietary exposure, stability in the milk matrix, efficiency of absorption/metabolism, and transfer from plasma to human milk. These data support the notion that flavonoids, as with carotenoids, are dietary phytochemicals present in human milk and potentially available to breast-fed infants.

Comparative assessment of kaempferitrin from medicinal extracts of Bauhinia forficata link.

The leaves of the pantropical genus Bauhinia (Fabaceae) are popularly known as cow's-paw or cow's hoof due to their unique characteristic bilobed aspect. The species Bauhinia forficata (Brazilian Orchid-tree) is widely used in folk medicine as an antidiabetic. This article deals with the quantitative analysis of kaempferitrin from B. forficata medicinal extract (aqueous and hydro alcoholic) using the LC method, and the comparison of kaempferitrin content in leaves collected from two different regions in the south Brazil. The total flavonoid content assessed by LC was also compared with the classical spectrophotometric determination. Kaempferitrin was found in different amounts, in samples from two geographical areas (Telêmaco Borba/PR and Itajaí/SC), for aqueous (368.68 and 77.91 microg/mL) and hydro alcoholic extracts (1952.59 and 211.61 microg/mL), respectively. The method was subjected to recovery assay, to determine its accuracy. A marked difference in total flavonoid concentration was observed in relation to kaempferitrin content: 2759.95 and 2188.20 microg/mL for the fluidextract and 863.35 and 856.77 microg/mL for the aqueous extract (Telêmaco Borba/PR and Itajaí/SC). The spectrophotometric assay overestimated the total flavonoid content (3620 microg/mL) in relation to the LC assay.