Novel green production of natural-like vanilla extract from curcuminoids.

The demand for natural vanilla extract, and vanillin in particular, by far exceeds the current production, as both the cultivation of vanilla beans and the extraction of vanillin are laborious. For this purpose, most vanillin used today is produced synthetically, contrary to the general trend toward bio-based products. The present study deals with the synthesis of nature-based vanillin, starting with the more accessible rhizomes of the plant Curcuma longa. Besides vanillin, vanillic acid and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde are synthesized that way, which are also found in the natural vanilla bean. The extraction of the curcuminoids and, finally, their conversion to the flavors are performed using visible light and food-grade chemicals only. A binary mixture of ethanol and triacetin, as well as a surfactant-free microemulsion consisting of water, ethanol, and triacetin, are investigated in this context. The results exceed the literature values for Soxhlet extraction of vanilla beans by a factor > 7.

Phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of Cinnamomum burmannii Blume extracts and their potential application in white chocolate.

This study aims at determining the potentials of cinnamon (Cinnamomun burmannii) extracts to improve the health-promoting properties of white chocolate. LC-HRMS analysis was employed to obtain information regarding the phytochemical content while the phosphomolybdenum, FRAP and DPPH assays were used to determine antioxidant activity of cinnamon extract. Furthermore, the cinnamon extract was loaded into nanoparticles before adding it to white chocolate. The results show that cinnamon extracts contained phenols up to 310 mg EE and possessed antioxidant activity up to 260 mg TAE per gram of dry extract depending on the extraction mode (i.e., traditional and ultrasonic-assisted method) and the solvent type. The cinnamon extract contained catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin B2, quercitrin, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, protocatechuic acid and cinnamic acid at levels of 51, 53, 1396, 13, 1138, 228 and 934 µg/g of dry extract, respectively. The encapsulated cinnamon extract increased the phenolic content of white chocolate from 47.6 to 1060.6 µg EE/g.

Anti-stress and Antioxidant Effects of Non Centrifuged Cane Sugar, Kokuto, in Restraint-Stressed Mice.

Stress is a part of everyday life, but excessive stress can be related to diverse diseases. Recently, oral intake of a non-centrifuged cane sugar, Kokuto, was reported to produce potential anti-stress effects in humans. However, the molecular components associated with the anti-stress property of Kokuto remain mostly unknown. Therefore, we focused on the non-sugar component (NSC) fractions of Kokuto, and investigated how serum corticosterone level (used as a stress marker) and antioxidant activity were affected in restraint-stressed mice treated with NSC fractions obtained from the elusion on HP-20 resin with 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% aqueous methanol (MeOH) solutions. Among the four NSC fractions, the 50% MeOH fraction showed a high content of phenolic compounds and high antioxidant activity. Moreover, oral administration of the 50% MeOH fraction suppressed both corticosterone secretion into the serum and reduction of antioxidant activity in serum and liver in restraint-stressed mice. Component analysis of the 50% MeOH fraction identified five antioxidative phenolic compounds: p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, p-hydroxyacetophenone, schaftoside, isoschaftoside, and p-coumaric acid. Phenolic compounds detected in the NSC fractions of Kokuto might contribute to the anti-stress property of Kokuto. In addition, this research provides more understanding of potential health benefits offered by the constituents of Kokuto.

[Protective effect and mechanism of p-hydroxybenzaldehyde on blood-brain barrier].

The disruption of blood-brain barrier(BBB) induced by oxidative stress is an important pathological reaction which results in secondary brain injury during the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. This study was designed to investigate the protective effect and mechanism of p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (p-HBA) from Gastrodia elata on BBB. The BBB is mainly consisted of vascular endothelial cells and astrocytes, so brain microvascular endothelial cell line (bEnd.3) and astrocytes (Ast) in mice were used in this study to establish BBB model. H2O2-induced oxidative stress was employed to induct the BBB damage. The bEnd.3 cells or astrocytes were exposed to different concentrations of H2O2 (0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 mmol·L⁻¹) for 4 h, then exposed to 0.5 mmol·L⁻¹ H2O2 for different duration (1, 2, 4, 6 h) to detect the reasonable condition of oxidative injury. After intervention by different concentrations of p-HBA(12.5, 25, and 50 mg·L⁻¹), LDH leakage rate was detected for bEnd.3 and Ast cells; the expression levels of tight junction protein claudin-5 and occludin in bEnd.3 cells were determined by Western blot and immunofluorescence. Nrf2, HO-1 and NQO1 in normal bEnd.3 cells and astrocytes as well as H2O2-induced damaged in astrocytes were detected by western blot after treatment with p-HBA. The results showed that the optimal condition of H2O2 induced damage in bEnd.3 cells and astrocytes was set up as exposure the cells to 0.5 mmol·L⁻¹ H2O2 for 4 h. Different concentrations of p-HBA could decrease LDH leakage rate after bEnd.3 and Ast injury was induced by H2O2; increase the protein expression levels of claudin-5, occludin, Nrf2, HO-1 and NQO1; and increase the expression levels of Nrf2, HO-1 and NQO1 in normal and H2O2-induced damaged astrocytes. These findings indicate that the p-HBA has protective effect on the BBB, and the related mechanism seems to involve up-regulating tight junction protein of the bEnd.3 cells and enhancing endogenous antioxidant capacity by activating the Nrf2/ARE pathway in both of bEnd.3 cells and astrocytes.

[Biological activity and hydroxy safflor yellow A content of intermediates in preparation of Safflower Injection].

In order to investigate the effect of various production processes on the quality of Safflower Injection, the biological activities of the intermediates were evaluated by measuring activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) induced platelet aggregation in vitro. Intermediates were produced by key processes, such as extraction, concentration, twice alcohol precipitation, water sedimentation and two sterilizations during the production of Safflower Injection. The content of main chemical components in intermediates was determined by HPLC. The results showed that with the advance of the preparation process of Safflower Injection, the inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation rate of each intermediate decreased gradually, and the trend of extending APTT activity decreased first and then increased. Meanwhile, the content of hydroxy safflor yellow A (HSYA) was gradually lowered, the content of p-hydroxy-cinnamic acid was increased, and new chemical component p-hydroxybenzaldehyde was produced. In conclusion, sterilization played a key role in the biological activity and HSYA content of Safflower injection.

Chemical fingerprint and metabolic profile analysis of ethyl acetate fraction of Gastrodia elata by ultra performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry.

The chemical fingerprint and metabolic profile of traditional Chinese medicine is very complicated and has been a great challenge. In the present study, chemical fingerprint of ethyl acetate fraction of Gastrodia elata (EtAcGE) and metabolic profile of rat plasma sample after intragastric administration of EtAcGE (2.5g/kg) were investigated using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF MS). A total of 38 chemical constituents of EtAcGE were identified by comparing their retention time, accurate molecular mass and characteristic fragment ions with those of references, or tentatively characterized by comparing molecular formula, fragment ions with that of known compound or information available in literature. And 40 compounds were detected in dosed rat plasma sample, including 16 prototypes and 24 metabolites underwent metabolic process of glucuronidation, glucosylation, sulfation, methylation, hydroxylation, dehydrogenation or mixed modes. The metabolic "soft spots" was hydroxyl or carboxy group. This is the first research for chemical fingerprint and metabolic profile of EtAcGE, which lay a foundation for the further investigation of EtAcGE.