LC-MS Based Phytochemical Profiling towards the Identification of Antioxidant Markers in Some Endemic Aloe Species from Mascarene Islands.

Aloe plant species have been used for centuries in traditional medicine and are reported to be an important source of natural products. However, despite the large number of species within the Aloe genus, only a few have been investigated chemotaxonomically. A Molecular Network approach was used to highlight the different chemical classes characterizing the leaves of five Aloe species: Aloe macra, Aloe vera, Aloe tormentorii, Aloe ferox, and Aloe purpurea. Aloe macra, A. tormentorii, and A. purpurea are endemic from the Mascarene Islands comprising Reunion, Mauritius, and Rodrigues. UHPLC-MS/MS analysis followed by a dereplication process allowed the characterization of 93 metabolites. The newly developed MolNotator algorithm was usedfor molecular networking and allowed a better exploration of the Aloe metabolome chemodiversity. The five species appeared rich in polyphenols (anthracene derivatives, flavonoids, phenolic acids). Therefore, the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the five species were evaluated, and a DPPH-On-Line-HPLC assay was used to determine the metabolites responsible for the radical scavenging activity. The use of computational tools allowed a better description of the comparative phytochemical profiling of five Aloe species, which showed differences in their metabolite composition, both qualitative and quantitative. Moreover, the molecular network approach combined with the On-Line-HPLC assay allowed the identification of 9 metabolites responsible for the antioxidant activity. Two of them, aloeresin A and coumaroylaloesin, could be the principal metabolites responsible for the activity. From 374 metabolites calculated by MolNator, 93 could be characterized. Therefore, the Aloe species can be a rich source of new chemical structures that need to be discovered.

Enhanced effects of curcumin encapsulated in polycaprolactone-grafted oligocarrageenan nanomicelles, a novel nanoparticle drug delivery system.

One of the most effective strategies to enhance the bioavailability and the therapeutic effect of hydrophobic drugs is the use of nanocarriers. We have used κ-carrageenan extracted from Kappaphycus alvarezii to produce oligocarrageenan via an enzymatic degradation process. Polycaprolactone (PCL) chains were grafted onto the oligocarrageenans using a protection/deprotection technique yielding polycaprolactone-grafted oligocarrageenan. The resulting amphiphilic copolymers formed spherical nanomicelles with a mean size of 187 ± 21 nm. Hydrophobic drugs such as curcumin were efficiently encapsulated in the micelles and released within 24-72 h in solution. The micelles were non-cytotoxic and facilitated the uptake of curcumin by endothelial EA-hy926 cells. They also increased the anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin in TNF-alpha-induced inflammation experiments. Finally, in vivo experiments supported a lack of toxicity in zebrafish and thus the potential use of polycaprolactone-grafted oligocarrageenan to improve the delivery of hydrophobic compounds to different organs, including liver, lung and brain as shown in mice.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction and structural characterization by NMR of alginates and carrageenans from seaweeds.

Polysaccharides from seaweeds are interesting materials for food and pharmaceutical applications such as drug delivery due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Extraction of these biopolymers is usually performed during several hours to obtain a significant extraction yield. In this paper, we report on a new process to extract alginates from brown seaweeds (Sargassum binderi and Turbinaria ornata) and carrageenans from red seaweeds (Kappaphycus alvarezii and Euchema denticulatum) with the assistance of ultrasound. The effect of several parameters (pH, temperature, algae/water ratio, ultrasound power and duration) was investigated to determine optimal extraction conditions. The extracted polysaccharides represented up to 55% of the seaweeds dry weight and were obtained in a short time (15-30min) as compared to 27% in 2h for conventional extraction. NMR, FTIR and SEC analysis were used to characterise the extracted polymers. Ultrasound allowed the reduction of extraction time without affecting the chemical structure and molar mass distribution of alginates and carrageenans.

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA shikimate/quinate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT) from Coffea canephora involved in chlorogenic acid biosynthesis.

Chlorogenic acids (CGAs) are a group of soluble phenolic compounds that are produced by a variety of plants, including Coffea canephora (robusta coffee). The last step in CGA biosynthesis is generally catalysed by a specific hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA quinate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HQT), but it can also be catalysed by the more widely distributed hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA shikimate/quinate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT). Here, the cloning and overexpression of HCT from C. canephora in Escherichia coli as well as its purification and crystallization are presented. Crystals were obtained by the sitting-drop technique at 293 K and X-ray diffraction data were collected on the microfocus beamline ID23-2 at the ESRF. The HCT crystals diffracted to better than 3.0 Šresolution, belonged to space group P4(2)2(1)2 with unit-cell parameters a = b = 116.1, c = 158.9 Šand contained two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The structure was solved by molecular replacement and is currently under refinement. Such structural data are needed to decipher the molecular basis of the substrate specifities of this key enzyme, which belongs to the large plant acyl-CoA-dependent BAHD acyltransferase superfamily.

A structural basis for the biosynthesis of the major chlorogenic acids found in coffee.

Chlorogenic acids (CGAs) are a group of phenolic secondary metabolites produced by certain plant species and an important component of coffee (Coffea spp.). The CGAs have been implicated in biotic and abiotic stress responses, while the related shikimate esters are key intermediates for lignin biosynthesis. Here, two hydroxycinnamoyl-coenzyme A shikimate/quinate hydroxycinnamoyl transferases (HCT/HQT) from coffee were biochemically characterized. We show, to our knowledge for the first time, that in vitro, HCT is capable of synthesizing the 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid diester, a major constituent of the immature coffee grain. In order to further understand the substrate specificity and catalytic mechanism of the HCT/HQT, we performed structural and mutagenesis studies of HCT. The three-dimensional structure of a native HCT and a proteolytically stable lysine mutant enabled the identification of important residues involved in substrate specificity and catalysis. Site-directed mutagenesis confirmed the role of residues leucine-400 and phenylalanine-402 in substrate specificity and of histidine-153 and the valine-31 to proline-37 loop in catalysis. In addition, the histidine-154-asparagine mutant was observed to produce 4-fold more dichlorogenic acids compared with the native protein. These data provide, to our knowledge, the first structural characterization of a HCT and, in conjunction with the biochemical and mutagenesis studies presented here, delineate the underlying molecular-level determinants for substrate specificity and catalysis. This work has potential applications in fine-tuning the levels of shikimate and quinate esters (CGAs including dichlorogenic acids) in different plant species in order to generate reduced or elevated levels of the desired target compounds.