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Fresh Echinacea purpurea plant is a rich source of caffeic acid derivatives, which actively participate in the regulation of immune function. Herein, we describe a novel process for the production of fresh Echinacea purpurea juice rich in caffeic acid derivatives. This novel process includes steam heating (100°C, 15 min) before squeezing the juice to increase the recovery of caffeic acid derivatives from the flower or leaf by 1.5 to 3.7 fold. The recovery was further enhanced by 11-20% using ultrasonication at 500 W for 30 min. The flower, leaf, and root juice of Echinacea purpurea could be preserved for 4 weeks (4°C) or 6 months (-18°C) following ultra-high-pressure pasteurization (300 MPa, 15 min). Under these conditions, more than 90% of active cichoric acid was retained. Furthermore, the frozen-stored Echinacea purpurea juice exhibited similar or better immunoenhancement properties when measured by organ index, ear swelling, and carbon clearance test in mice compared with that of the positive control group (P < 0.05). Our results suggest that a combination of steam, ultrasound, and ultra-high-pressure treatment could serve as a superior process for the preparation of functional Echinacea purpurea juice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient separation method of scopolamine from Hindu Datura extracts was successfully developed by combining liquid–liquid extraction, macroporous resins, and crystallization. First, the extraction solution was successively performed with liquid–liquid extraction by acid water and carbon tetrachloride. Secondly, D151 resin was selected from six tested resins, and the separation parameters were optimized. Finally, scopolamine hydrobromide was obtained after crystallization at −20°C overnight. Through one run of above combined treatments, the content of scopolamine increased from 3.02% (w/w) to 99.12% (w/w). In addition, the products were assessed by highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative brain disorder characterized by memory loss, language impairment, personality changes and intellectual decline. Taking into account the key pathological features of AD, such as low levels of acetylcholine, beta-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation, oxidative stress and dyshomeostasis of biometals, a new series of paeonol derivatives 5a–5d merging three different functions, i.e., antioxidant, anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, metal chelating agents for AD treatment have been synthesized and characterized. Biological assays revealed that compared with paeonol (309.7 μM), 5a–5d had a lower DPPH IC50 value (142.8–191.6 μM). 5a–5d could significantly inhibit hydrogen peroxide-induced neuronal PC12 cell death assessed by MTT assay in the concentration range of 5–40 μM. AChE activity was effectively inhibited by 5a–5d, with IC50 values in the range of 0.61–7.04 μM. 5a–5d also exhibited good metal-chelating ability. All the above results suggested that paeonol derivatives may be promising multifunctional agents for AD treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]