Establishment of high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array method for 43 weight loss agents and effect of basic environment on bisacodyl degradation.

RATIONALE: The demand for weight loss products is increasing as slimness emerges as the new aesthetic standard and people's desire to achieve it increases. In addition, the distribution and sale of products containing illegal ingredients, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals for which safety is not guaranteed and that cannot be used as foods or dietary supplements are increasing. Thus, the development of an analytical method that could monitor these illegal products is required. METHODS: A high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array method capable of rapid and reliable qualitative and quantitative analyses of 43 weight loss agents was established and validated. RESULTS: The process involved dividing analytes into three groups for rapid analysis; when bisacodyl was mixed with chlorocyclopentylsibutramine, it decomposed into its metabolites: monoacetyl bisacodyl and bis-(p-hydroxypheny)-pyridyl-2-methane. This decomposition was due to NaOH that was used to prepare the chlorocyclopentylsibutramine standard solution. Bisacodyl did not degrade when mixed with neutralized chlorocyclopentylsibutramine, whereas when NaOH was added, it rapidly degraded. We identified the bisacodyl degradation products using liquid chromatography-quadrupole-Orbitrap/mass spectrometry. MS2 spectra with proposed structures of fragment peaks were also obtained. CONCLUSIONS: The developed method could be used to regulate slimming products that threaten public health, and knowledge of bisacodyl degradation will be used as the basis for developing an analytic method.

Potential Antiaging and Hepatoprotective Effects of Acanthopanax senticosus Extracts in Adult Rat Models.

Data regarding plant extracts with antiaging properties, particularly through the biological process involving telomeres and telomerase, are limited. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of Acanthopanax senticosus extract (ASE) supplementation on leukocyte telomere length (LTL), telomerase, and inflammatory and metabolic markers in adult animal models. A freeze-dried product of ethanol extracts was prepared using a mixture product of stem and root ASE. In a 24-week experiment that included 24-week-old Sprague Dawley male rats, experimental rats (n = 10) were administrated with 7 mg/day of ASE dissolved in saline and control rats (n = 10) with saline. All rats had access to chow and tap water ad libitum. Their LTL and plasma levels of telomerase and inflammatory and metabolic markers were assayed and compared between the two groups. The experimental rats showed significantly longer LTL (p < 0.05) and lower plasma levels of alanine aminotransferase (p < 0.05) and aspartate aminotransferase (p = 0.08) compared with the control. In addition, LTL was correlated with the aforementioned biochemical parameters of liver function test among experimental rats only. No significant differences in plasma levels of telomerase and inflammatory and metabolic markers were observed. These findings indicate that ASE supplementation may attenuate LTL shortening and reduce liver biochemical parameters, indicating its potential antiaging and hepatoprotective effects without any adverse metabolic response.

Inhibitory effects of ginsenoside re isolated from ginseng berry on histamine and cytokine release in human mast cells and human alveolar epithelial cells.

The berry of Panax ginseng significantly inhibited the histamine releases at the concentration of 30 µg/mL (p<0.05) and 10 µg/mL (p<0.01). The ginsenoside Re from ginseng berry was found out to have a potent effect in the experiment of histamin and cytokine release.

Antioxidant activities of ginseng seeds treated by autoclaving.

Ginseng seeds were treated with different autoclaving temperatures and autoclaving times, and extracted with 80% methanol to measure changes in antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of ginseng seeds treated by autoclaving was measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, 2,2'-aziono-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid radical scavenging activity, superoxide dismutase SOD-like activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and total phenolic compound content. As autoclaving temperature and time were increased, the L lightness value decreased and the redness value tended to increase. Total phenolic compound content was about three times higher in ginseng seeds treated with autoclaving at 130℃ than in ginseng seeds that were not treated. DPPH radical scavenging activity and ABTS radical scavenging activity increased as autoclaving temperature and time were increased. In particular, when the concentration was 100 ppm, the ABTS radical scavenging activity was 91.80% in ginseng seeds treated by autoclaving at 130℃, which was the highest antioxidant activity. FRAP and SOD-like antioxidant activity tended to increase significantly as autoclaving temperature and time were increased.

Phytochemical characteristics of coffee bean treated by coating of ginseng extract.

THE PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE INSTRUMENTAL AND SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF GINSENG COFFEE WITH DIFFERENT RATIOS OF THE INGREDIENTS: type of coffee bean (Colombia, Brazil, and Indonesia), type of ginseng extract (white ginseng, red ginseng, and America ginseng) and concentration of ginseng extract (3, 6, and 9 w/v %). The sensory optimal condition of white ginseng coffee, red ginseng coffee and America ginseng coffee were as follows: 3% Indonesian coffee bean coated with 3% white ginseng extract, Colombian coffee bean coated with 6% red ginseng extract and Colombian coffee bean coated with 3% American ginseng extract, respectively. In particular, the Colombian coffee bean coated with 6% red ginseng extract had significantly higher scores than other samples in terms of flavor, taste, and overall preference. Additionally, the contents of total ginsenoside and total sugar and total phenolic compounds were also highest in the Colombian coffee bean coated with 6% red ginseng extract.