Characterization of Metabolic Changes under Low Mineral Supply (N, K, or Mg) and Supplemental LED Lighting (Red, Blue, or Red-Blue Combination) in Perilla frutescens Using a Metabolomics Approach.

In order to achieve premium quality with crop production, techniques involving the adjustment of nutrient supply and/or supplemental lighting with specific light quality have been applied. To examine the effects of low mineral supply and supplemental lighting, we performed non-targeted metabolite profiling of leaves and stems of the medicinal herb Perilla frutescens, grown under a lower (0.75×) and lowest (0.1×) supply of different minerals (N, K, or Mg) and under supplemental light-emitting diode (LED) lighting (red, blue, or red-blue combination). The lowest N supply increased flavonoids, and the lowest K or Mg slightly increased rosmarinic acid and some flavonoids in the leaves and stems. Supplemental LED lighting conditions (red, blue, or red-blue combination) significantly increased the contents of chlorophyll, most cinnamic acid derivatives, and rosmarinic acid in the leaves. LED lighting with either blue or the red-blue combination increased antioxidant activity compared with the control group without LED supplementation. The present study demonstrates that the cultivation of P. frutescens under low mineral supply and supplemental LED lighting conditions affected metabolic compositions, and we carefully suggest that an adjustment of minerals and light sources could be applied to enhance the levels of targeted metabolites in perilla.

Metabolomic response of Perilla frutescens leaves, an edible-medicinal herb, to acclimatize magnesium oversupply.

High salt accumulation, resulting from the rampant use of chemical fertilizers in greenhouse cultivation, has deleterious effects on plant growth and crop yield. Herein, we delineated the effects of magnesium (Mg) oversupply on Perilla frutescens leaves, a traditional edible and medicinal herb used in East-Asian countries. Mg oversupply resulted in significantly higher chlorophyll content coupled with lower antioxidant activities and growth, suggesting a direct effect on subtle metabolomes. The relative abundance of bioactive phytochemicals, such as triterpenoids, flavonoids, and cinnamic acids, was lower in the Mg-oversupplied plants than in the control. Correlation analysis between plant phenotypes (plant height, total fresh weight of the shoot, leaf chlorophyll content, and leaf antioxidant content) and the altered metabolomes in P. frutescens leaves suggested an acclimatization mechanism to Mg oversupply. In conclusion, P. frutescens preferentially accumulated compatible solutes, i.e., carbohydrates and amino acids, to cope with higher environmental Mg levels, instead of employing secondary and antioxidative metabolism.

Multivitamin and Mineral Supplementation Containing Phytonutrients Scavenges Reactive Oxygen Species in Healthy Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Phytonutrients and vitamin and mineral supplementation have been reported to provide increased antioxidant capacity in humans; however, there is still controversy. In the current clinical trial, we examined the antioxidant and DNA protection capacity of a plant-based, multi-vitamin/mineral, and phytonutrient (PMP) supplementation in healthy adults who were habitually low in the consumption of fruits and vegetables. This study was an eight-week, double-blind, randomized, parallel-arm, and placebo-controlled trial. PMP supplementation for eight weeks reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and prevented DNA damage without altering endogenous antioxidant system. Plasma vitamins and phytonutrients were significantly correlated with ROS scavenging and DNA damage. In addition, gene expression analysis in PBMC showed subtle changes in superoxide metabolic processes. In this study, we showed that supplementation with a PMP significantly improved ROS scavenging activity and prevented DNA damage. However, additional research is still needed to further identify mechanisms of actions and the role of circulating phytonutrient metabolites.

Systematic metabolic profiling and bioactivity assays for bioconversion of Aceraceae family.

Plants are an important and inexhaustible source of bioactive molecules in food, medicine, agriculture, and industry. In this study, we performed systematic liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolic profiling coupled with antioxidant assays for indigenous plant family extracts. Partial least-squares discriminant analysis of LC-MS datasets for the extracts of 34 plant species belonging to the families Aceraceae, Asteraceae, and Rosaceae showed that these species were clustered according to their respective phylogenies. In particular, seven Aceraceae species were clearly demarcated with higher average antioxidant activities, rationalizing their application for bioconversion studies. On the basis of further evaluation of the interspecies variability of metabolic profiles and antioxidant activities among Aceraceae family plants, we found that Acer tataricum (TA) extracts were clearly distinguished from those of other species, with a higher relative abundance of tannin derivatives. Further, we detected a strong positive correlation between most tannin derivatives and the observed higher antioxidant activities. Following Aspergillus oryzae-mediated fermentative bioconversion of Acer plant extracts, we observed a time-correlated (0-8 days) linear increase in antioxidant phenotypes for all species, with TA having the highest activity. Temporal analysis of the MS data revealed tannin bioconversion mechanisms with a relatively higher abundance of gallic acid (m/z 169) accumulated at the end of 8 days, particularly in TA. Similarly, quercetin precursor (glycoside) metabolites were also transformed to quercetin aglycones (m/z 301) in most Acer plant extracts. The present study underscores the efficacy of fermentative bioconversion strategies aimed at enhancing the quality and availability of bioactive metabolites from plant extracts.

Unraveling Metabolic Variation for Blueberry and Chokeberry Cultivars Harvested from Different Geo-Climatic Regions in Korea.

Temporal geo-climatic variations are presumably vital determinants of phenotypic traits and quality characteristics of berries manifested through reconfigured metabolomes. We performed an untargeted mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomic analysis of blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) and chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) sample extracts harvested from different geo-climatic regions in Korea. The multivariate statistical analysis indicated distinct metabolite compositions of berry groups based on different species and regions. The amino acids levels were relatively more abundant in chokeberry than in blueberry, while the sugar contents were comparatively higher in blueberry. However, the metabolite compositions were also dependent on geo-climatic conditions, especially latitude. Notwithstanding the cultivar types, amino acids, and sucrose were relatively more abundant in berries harvested from 35°N and 36°N geo-climatic regions, respectively, characterized by distinct duration of sunshine and rainfall patterns. The present study showed the ability of a metabolomics approach for recapitulating the significance of geo-climatic parameters for quality characterization of commercial berry types.

In vivo metabolomic interpretation of the anti-obesity effects of hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab L.) administration in high-fat diet mice.

SCOPE: The esoteric anti-obesity effects of hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab L) have largely remained unexplored. Herein, we investigated the anti-obesity mechanisms of hyacinth bean compared to milk thistle, a natural herb employed for ameliorating obesity-related diseases, using high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice towards unfolding the perplexing mechanisms. METHODS AND RESULTS: C57BL/6J mice were orally administered hyacinth bean (25 mg/kg/day) and milk thistle (100 mg/kg/day) for 9 weeks along with HFD. Intriguingly, a number of anti-obesity mechanisms indexed through clinical parameters, suppression in weight gains and liver steatosis were found similar to some disparity. Furthermore, the corresponding metabolic implications were studied through MS-based metabolite profiling, and using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes for metabolic pathways revealing that hyacinth bean or milk thistle administration effectively attenuates the HFD-induced lipid, glucose, and bile acid metabolism, with former specifically attenuates pyruvate-derived amino acids metabolism. Among them, valine, asparagine, and lysine displayed high correlation with blood clinical parameters. CONCLUSION: A lower dose of hyacinth bean resulted in similar anti-obesity effects as milk thistle, as confirmed by both clinical and metabolomics analyses. Equivocally, we conjecture that hyacinth bean could be used as a potent anti-obesity herbal functional food.

Metabolite profiling of red and white pitayas (Hylocereus polyrhizus and Hylocereus undatus) for comparing betalain biosynthesis and antioxidant activity.

Metabolite profiling of red and white pitayas (Hylocereus polyrhizus and Hylocereus undatus) was performed using gas chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry and ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry with multivariate analysis. Different species and parts of pitayas (red peel, RP; white peel, WP; red flesh, RF; and white flesh, WF) were clearly separated by partial least-squares discriminate analysis. Furthermore, betalain-related metabolites, such as betacyanins and betaxanthins, or their precursors were described on the basis of their metabolites. The results of antioxidant activity tests [1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP)], total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), and total betacyanin contents (TBC) showed the following: RP ≥ WP > RF > WF. TPC, TFC, TBC, and betalain-related metabolites were higher in the peel than in the flesh and suggested to be the main contributors to antioxidant activity in pitayas. Therefore, peels as well as pulp of pitaya could beneficially help in the food industry.