Comprehensive metabolite profile of multi-bioactive extract from tree peony (Paeonia ostii and Paeonia rockii) fruits based on MS/MS molecular networking.

Tree peony seed, traditionally used for edible oil production, is rich in α-linolenic acid. However, little attention is given to the fruit by-products during seed oil production. The present work aimed to comprehensively investigate the phytochemical constituents and multiple biological activities of different parts of tree peony fruits harvested from Paeonia ostii and Paeonia rockii. 130 metabolites were rapidly identified through UPLC-Triple-TOF-MS on the basis of MS/MS molecular networking. Metabolite quantification was performed through the targeted approach of HPLC-ESI-QQQ-MS. Eight chemical markers were screened via principal component analysis (PCA) for distinguishing species and tissues. Interestingly, two dominant compounds, paeoniflorin and trans-resveratrol, are specially localized in seed kernel and seed coat, respectively. Unexpectedly, the extracts of fruit pod and seed coat showed significantly stronger antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-neuroinflammatory activities than seed kernel from both P. ostii and P. rockii. Our work demonstrated that tree peony fruit is promising natural source of bioactive components and provided its potential utilization in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Bioactive components, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Paeonia rockii fruit during development.

In last ten years, much attention focused on tree peony fruit (TPF) for edible oil production despite other potential utilization. The present study identified and quantified 29 bioactive components by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QqQ-MS) targeted approach during the development of TPF. Trans-resveratrol, benzoic acid, luteolin, and methyl gallate were selected as predominant chemical markers between seeds and pods through principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Extremely high levels of paeoniflorin (1893 mg/100 g) and trans-resveratrol (1793 mg/100 g) were observed at stage 2 (S2) and S6 in seeds, respectively. Antioxidant activities determined by ABTS+•, DPPH•, and FRAP assays showed significant correlations with total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC). The strongest antibacterial effects of pod and seed against Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus vulgaris occurred at initial stages and maturation stages. TPF could be a potential source of bioactive compounds with functional properties.

Stress Recovery of Campus Street Trees as Visual Stimuli on Graduate Students in Autumn.

Human stress recovery response to landscapes is under discussion in Chinese settings. The present study aimed to clarify the stress recovery effects of campus street trees on graduate students in autumn. A total of 150 participants (23.75 ± 1.01 years old) completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and were then randomly assigned to view one of five virtual environments, including the street trees Sophora japonica, Ginkgo biloba, Platanus acerifolia, Koelreuteria paniculata, and the indoor environment (control). Physiological responses were measured by R-R interval and electroencephalography (EEG). Psychological responses were examined through the state version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) and the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS). Results showed that R-R intervals significantly increased while viewing all street trees. Both alpha and beta brainwave activities while viewing S. japonica and G. biloba were remarkably higher than those while viewing P. acerifolia and K. paniculata. The STAI-S scores significantly decreased, and the positive PRS scores were registered after viewing street trees. We concluded that a brief virtual visual experience of campus street trees in autumn has stress recovery effects on graduate students, and the different levels of stress recovery are associated with different types of street trees.

Phenotypic Characteristics and Fatty Acid Composition of Seeds from Different Herbaceous Peony Species Native to China.

Herbaceous peony has been widely cultivated in China due to its substantial ornamental and medicinal value. In the present study, the phenotypic characteristics, total fatty acid (FA) content, and nine FA compositions of herbaceous peony seeds from 14 populations belonging to six species and one subspecies were determined by normal test and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results showed that the phenotypic characteristics of seeds varied dramatically among species. The concentrations of five major FAs in seed oils were as follows: linoleic acid (173.95-236.51 µg/mg), linolenic acid (227.82-302.71 µg/mg), oleic acid (135.32-208.81 µg/mg), stearic acid (6.52-11.7 µg/mg), and palmitic acid (30.67-47.64 µg/mg). Correlation analysis demonstrated that oleic acid had the highest partial correlation coefficient with total FAs and might be applied to develop a model of phenotypic characteristics. FAs were significantly influenced by the following environmental factors: latitude, elevation, and annual average temperature. Based on the FA levels in the seed oils, clustering analysis divided 14 populations into two clusters. It was found that the average contents of oleic acid, linoleic acid, and total FAs in cluster I (147.16 µg/mg, 200.31 µg/mg, and 671.24 µg/mg, respectively) were significantly lower than those in cluster II (196.65 µg/mg, 220.16 µg/mg, and 741.78 µg/mg, respectively). Cluster I was perfectly consistent with subsect. Foliolatae, while cluster II was in good agreement with subsect. Dissectifoliae. Therefore, the FA composition of wild herbaceous peony seed oil might be used as a chemotaxonomic marker.

Psycho-Physiological Effects of a Peony-Viewing Program on Middle-Aged and Elderly Individuals at Different Phenological Stages.

To address the question of whether the behavior of humans to view different phenological peony flowers has various effects on their physical and mental parameters, we investigated psycho-physiological responses of 74 participants (61.3 ± 10.78 years old) to environments of pre- and post-viewing tree peonies at four stages, including the exhibition leaf stage (ELS), initial bloom stage (IBS), full bloom stage (FBS), and terminal bloom stage (TBS). Physiological factors were examined using systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), fingertip pulse (FP), blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), and psychological evaluation, which was carried out using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and State⁻Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The results indicated that the SBP, DBP, HR, and FP levels of participants were significantly reduced after viewing tree peonies, whereas no remarkable alterations in SpO2 were found. The POMS scores of anger⁻hostility (A⁻H), fatigue⁻inertia (F⁻I), tension⁻anxiety (T⁻A), confusion⁻bewilderment (C⁻B), and depression⁻dejection (D⁻D) were significantly lower, but of vigor⁻activity (V⁻A) was higher post-viewing than pre-viewing. Furthermore, participants exhibited markedly decreased anxiety levels according to the STAI. Notably, the changes in measurement indices were more pronounced at the FBS. Our studies demonstrated that a short peony-viewing program, especially at the FBS with completely opened and large tree peony flowers, would be a promising therapeutic method for improving physiological functions as well as an effective psychological relaxation strategy for middle-aged and elderly individuals.

[Study on quality evaluation of Dihuang (Rehmannia glutinosa) by two-dimension HPLC fingerprints and chemometrics methods].

The study is to establish the two-dimension HPLC fingerprints of Dihuang (Rehmannia glutinosa), by HPLC-PDA and HPLC-ELSD methods. The separations were performed on Waters Atlantis®T3（4.6 mm× 250 mm，5 µm）and Welch Ultimate®Hilic-NH2（4.6 mm× 250 mm，5 µm）columns with the gradient elution of acetonitrile-0.01% phosphoric acid and acetonitrile-water, respectively. The chromatographic display wavelength for PDA detector was set at 203 nm. For HPLC-ELSD, the nebulizer was set as cooling mode, the drift tube temperature was set at 60 °C and the gas pressure was 35.0 psi. Based on similarity evaluation system for chromatographic fingerprint of traditional Chinese medicine, 26 and 10 chromatographic peaks were determined as common components for HPLC-PDA and HPLC-ELSD fingerprints, respectively. Chemometrics analyses, such as similarity analysis; cluster analysis and principal component analysis, were performed on the common peak areas in two-dimension fingerprints for 41 batches of Dihuang from multiple sources. The results showed that the HPLC-PDA fingerprint could distinguish dried rehmannia root between different sources, and HPLC-ELSD fingerprint could differentiate dried rehmannia root from prepared rehmannia root. The two-dimension fingerprints were established with advantages of a good degree of separation, abundant chemical information and multi-components identified including two nucleosides (adenosine and uridine)，four iridoid glycosides (catalpa alcohol，rehmaionoside D，rehmaionoside A and leonuride)，two phenylethanoid glycosides (acteoside and cistanoside A) and nine sugars. The method is simple and practical, which could be used for the identification and quality assessment for Dihuang.

Isoprenylated flavonoids from Morus nigra and their PPAR γ agonistic activities.

A novel dihydroflavonol unprecedentedly with a prenyl group at C-2, nigragenon A (1), four new sanggenon-type flavonones, nigragenons B-E (2-5), along with six known isoprenylated flavonoids (6-11) were isolated from the twigs of Morus nigra. Their structures were elucidated through extensive analysis of spectroscopic data. Interestingly, compound 1 was the first reported biogenetic precursor of sanggenon-type flavanones and the biogenetic pathway from 1 to sanggenol F was proposed. The PPAR γ agonistic activity was investigated in HEK293 cells using dual luciferase reporter assay. Compounds 2, 4, 7, and 9 showed obvious agonistic activities on PPAR γ, and compound 2 was a potential PPAR γ partial agonist. Moreover, the preliminary structure-activity relationships for the tested compounds were discussed.

Determination of the phenolic content, profile, and antioxidant activity of seeds from nine tree peony (Paeonia section Moutan DC.) species native to China.

As an important resource of functional food, the seeds of tree peony are rich in phenolic compounds, which are associated with antioxidant activity. However, so far there has not been systematic study on phenolic compositions and antioxidant activity of the seeds from wild tree peony species. The aim of this study was to determine the phenolic content, antioxidant compounds and antioxidant activity of seeds from nine tree peony species native to China. Among the seed samples, Paeonia rockii had the highest total flavonoid content, strongest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities, and strongest cupric reducing capacity; P. decomposita subsp. rotundiloba had the highest total phenolic and flavanol contents, as well as the strongest hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. Sixteen individual phenolic compounds were quantitatively measured, with (+)-catechin being the most abundant component. The content of the phenolic compounds luteolin, paeonol, and the total flavonoid content were significantly correlated with four antioxidant activities. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed that P. rockii and P. decomposita subsp. rotundiloba could be clustered in a group having a high phenolic content and strong antioxidant activity. These results suggest P. rockii and P. decomposita subsp. rotundiloba are the most promising candidates as useful sources of natural antioxidants.

Chemometric Classification of Different Tree Peony Species Native to China Based on the Assessment of Major Fatty Acids of Seed Oil and Phenotypic Characteristics of the Seeds.

In the present study, we quantitatively measured five major fatty acids (FA) in seed oil using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and examined four phenotypic characteristics of the seeds from 19 populations from nine wild tree peony species native to China. The results showed that the unsaturated FAs contents were dominant, of which α-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid, and oleic acid (OA) contents ranged from 14.84 to 42.54 g/100 g, 7.33 to 19.66 g/100 g, and 15.07 - 35.31 g/100 g crude oil, respectively. The phenotypic seed characteristics, such as thousand seed weight (244.01 - 1772.91 g), seed volume (91.31 - 1000.79 mm3 ), weight rate of kernel and coat (1.29 - 3.62) and oil extraction ratio (20.32 - 34.69%), dramatically varied. Based on the contents of the five FAs, the nine species were classified into two groups. The species belonging to subsection Vaginatae were arranged in cluster I and were characterized by high ALA content. Cluster II, consistent with subsection Delavayanae, had a high OA content. From horizontal and vertical perspectives, the natural distribution areas of these two groups were different, reflecting differences in the FA contents and phenotypic seed characteristics. In conclusion, the FAs composition could be used as a chemotaxonomic marker for tree peony species.

Two new phenolic compounds from the tuber of Sparganium stoloniferum.

Two new phenolic compounds, 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-4-methoxycarbonyl-5-hydroxybenzofuran (1) and 1-methoxycarbonyl-2, 3-dihydroxydibenzo[b, f]oxepine (2), were isolated from the tuber of Sparganium stoloniferum. The structures of both new compounds were determined on basis of spectroscopic means including HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR experiments.

[Study on ultrasonic wave extraction of flavonoids from the bulb of Lilium lancifolium].

The extraction technology of flavonoids in the bulb of Lilium lancifolium Thunb. was studied by comparing the ultrasonic wave extraction technology with the traditional extraction technology. The results showed that the ultrasonic method was better. Also, the optimal procedure for the ultrasonic wave method were studied. Under the conditions of 1:30 of 80% ethanol to the bulb of Lilium lancifolium Thunb. weigh ratio, ultrasonic treatment for 40 min twice at the temperature of 70 degrees C, the average extraction rate of flavonoids was as high as 99.25%.