Antioxidant Activity and Main Chemical Components of a Novel Fermented Tea.

In the present study, we aimed to develop a novel fermented tea (NFT) product and to evaluate their in vitro antioxidant potential and chemical composition. We found that NFT contained a high level of total phenolic compounds (102.98 mg gallic acid equivalents/g extract) and exhibited diverse antioxidant activities, such as scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radicals, as well as reducing power. The total catechins in NFT were comparable to those of Lipton black tea (LBT), but lower than those of Boseong green tea (BGT) or Tieguanyin oolong tea (TOT). Among all catechins tested, epigallocatechin (EGC) and epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) were the predominant compounds in NFT. In particular, the contents of total theaflavins (TFs), theaflavin (TF), theaflavin-3-gallate (TF3G), and theaflavin-3'-gallate (TF3'G) in NFT were significantly higher than that of BGT, TOT, or LBT. NFT had the highest level of total essential amino acid and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) compared with BGT, TOT and LBT. Furthermore, the sensory evaluation results showed that NFT had satisfactory color, aroma, taste, and overall acceptability scores. Our results highlight the potential usefulness of this novel fermented tea as a nutraceutical food/ingredient with special functional activities.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice via modulating toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathways.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is a main bio-active compound important of a traditional Chinese medicine named Carthamus tinctorius L. and has been shown to possess various effects, especially anti-inflammatory benefits and potential protections against acute lung injury (ALI) in previous studies. Therefore, in this present study, we aimed to evaluating effects of HSYA on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI in mice. ALI was induced by intratracheal instillation of LPS into lung, and dexamethasone was used as a positive control. Results demonstrated that HSYA abated LPS-induced pathological change and attenuated lung vascular permeability and edema. HSYA down-regulated both the ability of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in lung tissues and levels of inflammatory mediators including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6 and IFN(interferon)-ß in serum. Moreover, HSYA prevented toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) and TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-ß (TRIF) protein up-expressions. In addition, the activations of mitogen-activated protein kinases including p38, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were blocked by HSYA. And also, the phosphorylations of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)/p65 and inhibitory kappa B (IκB)-α were inhibited by HSYA. In conclusion, HSYA attenuated inflammatory response in ALI mice through inhibition of TLR 4-dependent signaling pathways.

Simultaneous determination of phenolic antioxidants in edible vegetable oils by HPLC-FLD assisted with second-order calibration based on ATLD algorithm.

A novel strategy that combines the chemometrics method with high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD) was developed for the simultaneous determination of seven phenolic antioxidants in six kinds of oil samples. After a simple dilution step, oil samples can be directly injected into the detecting system and the data were measured in a short time with a chromatographic system operating in the gradient elution mode. Since the chromatographic and spectral peaks among interesting analytes and interferences were heavily overlapped, second-order calibration method based on alternating trilinear decomposition (ATLD) algorithm which fully exploiting the second-order advantage was adopted. Successful resolution was obtained in the presence of different matrix interferences in different oil samples, and the developed approach allows the quantification of the antioxidants at levels found in edible vegetable oils, without the necessity of applying either preconcentration or extraction steps, moreover, a column washing is also not required. Meanwhile, the effectiveness and reproducibility of the proposed method were also validated by some statistical parameters like root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP), limits of detection (LOD) and relative standard deviation (RSD). Then the proposed method was compared with several commonly selected methods in sample preparation, elution time and LOD.

New 23-spirocholestane derivatives from Ypsilandra thibetica.

Three new unusual 23-spirocholestane derivatives, ypsilanogenin (1), ypsilanogenin 3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2), and 4'-acetylypsilanogenin 3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (3), were isolated from the whole plants of Ypsilandra thibetica. The structures of compounds 1-3 were deduced by spectroscopic and chemical methods, and the structure of 1 was further confirmed by a single-crystal diffraction analysis. All isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory activities against HIV-1.

Potent anti-HIV activities and mechanisms of action of a pine cone extract from Pinus yunnanensis.

The anti-HIV activities of a pine cone extract (YNS-PY-F) from Pinus yunnanensis have been evaluated, and its mechanisms of action were also explored. The pine cone extract, YNS-PY-F, potently inhibited HIV-1(IIIB), HIV-1(RF), HIV-1(A17), HIV-1(AO18) and HIV-2(ROD) and induced cytopathic effect in C8166 cells with EC50 values of 0.96 µg/mL, 1.53 µg/mL, 0.88 µg/mL, 7.20 µg/mL and 6.17 µg/mL, respectively. The quantification of a p24 production assay showed that YNS-PY-F significantly inhibited the acute replication of HIV-1(IIIB), HIV-1RF, HIV-1(A17) and HIV-1(AO18) in C8166 cells. An MTT assay showed that YNS-PY-F also significantly inhibited the HIV-1(IIIB) induced cytolysis in MT-4 cells with an EC50 value of 2.22 µg/mL. The mechanism assays showed that YNS-PY-F had potent inhibitory effects on the fusion between infected cells and uninfected cells, and the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, with EC50 values of 7.60 µg/mL and 4.60 µg/mL, respectively. Overall, these data suggest that the pine cone extract from Pinus yunnanensis has potent inhibitory activities against HIV-1(IIIB), HIV-1(RF), RT inhibitor-resistant strains HIV-1(A17) and HIV-1(AO18), and HIV-2(ROD), and its anti-HIV mechanisms include inhibition of HIV entry and inhibition of reverse transcriptase activity.