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Rosa davurica Pall. was an edible herb, mostly distributed in the north of China and Russia. The main aim of this research was to elucidate the chemical components of the fruits of R. davurica methanol extract (RdME) and investigate their antihyperglycemic effect in vivo. Using different chromatographic techniques, 27 compounds were purified from RdME and the structures of these components were determined by spectroscopic data analysis, including triterpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, aromatic glycosides and so on. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in mice showed that the EtOAc fraction possessed the potent activity of decreasing the blood glucose, and ursolic acid, the main principle isolated from the fraction was the active compound. Notably, the antihyperglycemic activity of ursolic acid (75 mg/kg) was equivalent to that of gliclazide (100 mg/kg). However, all thirteen triterpenoids obtained from RdME had some cytotoxicity in T24 and HepG2 cells. This is the first study to fully elucidate the chemical constituents of the fruits of R. davurica and evaluate its antidiabetic effect in vivo. Although the antidiabetic mechanism of R. davurica had not been completely characterized, the results obtained in this present study will be helpful for further exploitation and utilization of the fruits of R. davurica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chaenomelis Fructus is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine with a long history in China. The total content of oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA) is taken as an important quality marker of Chaenomelis Fructus. In this study, quantitative models for the prediction total content of OA and UA in Chaenomelis Fructus were explored based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The content of OA and UA in each sample was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the data was used as a reference. In the partial least squares (PLS) model, both leave one out cross validation (LOOCV) of the calibration set and external validation of the validation set were used to screen spectrum preprocessing methods, and finally the multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) was chosen as the optimal pretreatment method. The modeling spectrum bands and ranks were optimized using PLS regression, and the characteristic spectrum range was determined as 7,500-4,250 cm-1, with 14 optimal ranks. In the back propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) model, the scoring data of 14 ranks obtained from PLS regression analysis were taken as input variables, and the total content of OA and UA reference values were taken as output values. The number of hidden layer nodes of BP-ANN was screened by full-cross validation (Full-CV) of the calibration set and external validation of the validation set. The result shows that both PLS model and PLS-BP-ANN model have strong prediction ability. In order to evaluate and compare the performance and prediction ability of models, the total content of OA and UA in each sample of the test set were detected under the same HPLC conditions, the NIRS data of the test set were input, respectively, to the optimized PLS model and PLS-BP-ANN model. By comparing the root-mean-square error (RMSEP) and determination coefficient (R2) of the test set and ratio of performance to deviation (RPD), the PLS-BP-ANN model was found to have better performance with RMSEP of 0.59 mg·g-1, R2 of 95.10%, RPD of 4.53 and bias of 0.0387 mg·g-1. The results indicated that NIRS can be used for the rapid quality control of Chaenomelis Fructus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In July 2020, China completely banned the addition of antibiotics to feed, which had a huge impact on animal husbandry, such as the increased incidence of some intestinal diseases. In this study, the pathogenesis of diarrhea in rabbits fed with antibiotic-free diet was studied by multi-omics analysis. The study found that the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in the cecum of diarrhea-afflicted rabbits changed significantly. Most of the differential expression genes identified were related to cecum inflammation and immune response, and a total of 652 differential metabolites were identified, mainly involved in inflammation-related metabolic pathways such as bile secretion, folic acid resistance, and tryptophan metabolism. In addition, Fournierella was positively correlated with myricetin and ursolic acid; thus, it might further cause bile secretion and tryptophan metabolism disorders, aggravate intestinal inflammation, change intestinal permeability, reduce host immunity, and lead to diarrhea in rabbits. With the comprehensive prohibition of antibiotics in the feed industry in China, the incidence of diarrhea in rabbits increased, such as loss of appetite, vomiting, and excretion of atheromatous feces. In order to explore the pathological and the molecular mechanisms of the diarrhea in the rabbitry fed with antibiotic-free diet, we used microbial metagenomics, transcriptome, and non-targeted metabolomics sequencing. The results showed that the Firmicutes level was significantly decreased (p < 0.001) and the Proteobacteria level was significantly increased (p < 0.05). The functional enrichment of cecum revealed that most differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were expressed in immune, inflammatory, and metabolic processes. The enrichment of the cecal fecal metabolites focused on the bile secretion, antifolate resistance, and tryptophan metabolism pathways, which are mainly associated with inflammation. The results of correlation analysis showed that Fournierella was positively correlated with myricetin, ursolic acid, and furtherly might cause bile secretion and tryptophan metabolism disorder, aggravate intestinal inflammation, change intestinal permeability, and reduce host immunity, leading to diarrhea in rabbits. This study provides a theoretical basis for illustrating the reason for diarrhea and developing new feeds for the health of rabbits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bacteria-mediated cancer immunotherapy (BCI) robustly stimulates the immune system and represses angiogenesis, but tumor recurrence and metastasis commonly occur after BCI. The natural product Ilex kudingcha C. J Tseng enriched with ursolic acid has anti-cancer activity and could potentially augment the therapeutic effects of BCI. The objective of the present study was to determine potential additive effects of these modalities. Methods: We investigated the anti-cancer activity of KDCE (Kudingcha extract) combined with S.t△ppGpp in the mice colon cancer models. Results: In the present study, KDCE combined with S.t△ppGpp BCI improved antitumor therapeutic efficacy compared to S.t△ppGpp or KDCE alone. KDCE did not prolong bacterial tumor-colonizing time, but enhanced the antiangiogenic effect of S.t△ppGpp by downregulatingVEGFR2. We speculated that KDCE-induced VEGFR2 downregulation is associated with FAK/MMP9/STAT3 axis but not AKT or ERK. Conclusions: Ursolic acid-enriched KDCE enhances the antitumor activity of BCI, which could be mediated by VEGFR2 downregulation and subsequent suppression of angiogenesis. Therefore, combination therapy with S.t△ppGpp and KDCE is a potential cancer therapeutic strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ludwigia hyssopifolia (LH), an ethnopharmacological herb used in Guangxi Zhuang medicine, is known for its extensive therapeutic use in treating throat disorders. The anti-laryngeal-cancer benefits of the ethyl acetate and petroleum ether fractions of the ethanolic extracts of LH have been shown in our prior cell-based research. Nevertheless, the specific impacts and underlying processes by which LH combats throat cancer effects have not been fully understood., Aim of the Study: This study involved the extraction of a composition containing two derivatives of ursolic acid from LH (LH-CUAD). The present study aimed to assess the anti-throat-cancer effects of these derivatives and the underlying mechanisms through in vitro and in vivo experiments., Materials and Methods: Solvent extraction, fractionation, chromatography, and semipreparative high-performance liquid chromatography were used for the extraction, purification, and analysis of LH-CUAD. The in vitro and in vivo anti-throat-cancer effects of LH-CUAD were investigated using the throat cancer cell lines Hep-2 and FaDu as well as Hep-2 tumor-bearing nude mice., Results: LH-CUAD significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of throat cancer cells without any prominent toxicity. The Hoechst 33258 staining, Annexin V-FITC/PI double-staining assays, and flow cytometry confirmed that LH-CUAD could induce throat cancer cell death from early to late apoptosis in vitro. LH-CUAD exhibited significant antitumor activity and low toxicity in a xenograft model, and induced throat cancer cells apoptosis in vivo. The apoptotic effects of LH-CUAD therapy were validated using Western blotting, which demonstrated the activation of a caspase cascade response triggered by an imbalance between the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. In addition, it was observed that LH-CUAD exhibited inhibitory effects on Akt and mTOR phosphorylation, hence promoting apoptosis., Conclusions: LH-CUAD induces apoptosis in both in vivo and in vitro models of throat cancer. This effect is achieved by activating the mitochondrial pathway, inhibiting the Akt/mTOR pathway and initiating endoplasmic reticulum stress. The findings of this study suggest that LH-CUAD has the potential to offer a novel approach to the clinical management of throat cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant support for this work that could have influenced its outcomes., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ilex asprella is a medicinal plant that is used extensively in southern China. The plant contains ursane-type triterpenoids and triterpenoid saponins which are known to be responsible for its pharmacological activities. Previously, a transcriptomic analysis of I. asprella was carried out and the gene IaAS 1, which is important in the formation of the core structure α-amyrin, was identified. However, the genes related to the subsequent derivatization of the core structures of the triterpenoid remain largely unknown. Herein, we describe the cloning and functional characterization of an amyrin 28-carboxylase IaAO1 (designated as IaCYP716A210) and a glycosyltransferase IaAU1 (designated as UGT74AG5), based on transcriptomic data. The expression of IaAO 1 in an α-amyrin producing yeast strain led to the accumulation of ursolic acid. An enzyme assay using recombinant protein IaAU1 purified from E. coli revealed that IaAU1 can catalyze the conversion of ursolic acid to ursolic acid 28- O -β-D-glucopyranoside. IaAU1 has regiospecificity for catalyzing the 28- O -glucosylation of ursane-/oleanane-type triterpene acids, as it can also catalyze the conversion of oleanolic acid, hederagenin, and ilexgenin A to their corresponding glycosyl compounds. Moreover, co-expression of IaAO 1 and IaAU 1 in the α-amyrin-producing yeast strain led to the production of ursolic acid 28- O -β-D-glucopyranoside, although in relatively low amounts. Our study reveals that IaAO 1 and IaAU 1 might play a role in the biosynthesis of pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins in I. asprella and provides insights into the potential application of metabolic engineering to produce ursane-type triterpene glycosides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polygonatum sibiricum becomes generally used as a sort of traditional medicinal herbs for thousands of years in China. This herbs contains a large number of active ingredients, such as polysaccharides, flavonoids, polyphenols, to cure many physiological functions including antioxidant, anti-fatigue, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-cancer etc. This present work focused on the purification processing of the raw Polygonatum polyphenols by using the specific macroporous resin. A sort of resin, named AB-8, was chosen as the ideal adsorbent due to the best adsorption and the desorption rate for Polygonatum polyphenols, after the comparison test for the adsorption-desorption characteristics of four different types of resins (AB-8, NKA-9, SP-825 and XAD-2) for crude Polygonatum polyphenols. In the static/dynamic adsorption and desorption experiments, the sample concentration, flow velocity of samples, ethanol concentration and flow velocity of desorption showed great influence on the macroporous resin in the process of separating and purifying the Polygonatum polyphenols. The ideal purification parameters for the resin of AB-8 were as follows, at room temperature, the concentration of crude polyphenol was 0.80 mg/mL with the flow velocity of 0.8 mL/min, and 70% ethanol was used as the eluent solvent with the elution flow rate of 1 mL/min. The Folin-phenol reagent method was adopted to determine the total phenol content during the purification. The results showed that the purity of Polygonatum polyphenols after purification by AB-8 resin increased by 3.37 times than the crude polyphenol extract indicating that AB-8 resin has great adsorption and enrichment effect for Polygonatum polyphenols. The total reduction capacity, scavenging capacity of DPPH• and ABTS+• were measured to investigate the antioxidant capacity of crude and purified Polygonatum polyphenols. The obtained results showed that Polygonatum polyphenols possessed good antioxidant capacity with the dose-effect relationship. IC50 values of total reduction capacity of Polygonatum polyphenols before and after purification were (27.48+1.93) μg/mL, (19.01+1.48) μg/mL, IC50 values of DPPH• scavenging activities were (5.21+0.48) μg/mL, (4.00+0.26) μg/mL, and IC50 values of ABTS+• scavenging activities were (4.89+0.82) μg/mL and(4.21±0.53) μg/mL, respectively. Obviously, the antioxidant activity of Polygonatum polyphenols was significantly enhanced after purification. The infrared spectrum and HPLC were also used to analyze the structure characteristics and compositions of the purified products. The characteristic peaks of some polyphenols and flavones can be detected, where Polygonatum polyphenols mainly contains green source acid, ferulic acid, rutin and ursolic acid. The present study can provide a scientific basis for the structure-activity analysis of Polygonatum polyphenols and their promising utilization in the functional food, medicine and cosmetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC), mostly categorized as a low immunogenic microsatellite-stable phenotype bearing complex immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), is highly resistant to immunotherapy. Seeking safe and efficient alternatives aimed at modulating tumor immunosuppressive TME to improve outcome of CRC is highly anticipated yet remains challenging. Methods: Enlightened from the drug complementary art in traditional Chinese medicine, we designed a self-assembled nanomedicine (termed LNT-UA) by the natural active ingredients of ursolic acid (UA) and lentinan (LNT) through a simple nano-precipitation method, without any extra carriers, for CRC immunotherapy. Results: UA induces immunogenic cell death (ICD), while LNT further promotes dendritic cell (DC) maturation and repolarizes tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) from a protumorigenic M2 to an antitumor M1 phenotype. Co-delivery of UA and LNT by LNT-UA effectively reshapes the immunosuppressive TME and mobilizes innate and adaptive immunity to inhibit tumor progression in the CT26 CRC tumor model. Following the principle of integrative theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on overall regulation, the further combination of LNT-UA and anti-CD47 antibody (αCD47) would reinforce the antitumor immunity by promoting phagocytosis of dying tumor cells and tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), leading to effective suppression of both primary and distant tumor growth with 2.2-fold longer of median survival time in the bilateral tumor model. Most notably, this combination effect is also observed in the spontaneous CRC model induced by chemical carcinogens, with much less and smaller size of tumor nodules after sequential administration of LNT-UA and αCD47 through gavage and intraperitoneal injection, respectively. Conclusions: This study provides a promising self-assembled traditional Chinese nanomedicine to improve immunotherapy for CRC, which might be applicable for future clinical translation., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Abstract: Microbial transformation of ursolic acid (UA, 3β-hydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid, 1) by filamentous fungus Syncephalastrum racemosum CGMCC 3.2500 was conducted. Five metabolites 3β, 7β, 21β-trihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (2); 3β, 21β-dihydroxy-urs-11-en-28-oic acid-13-lactone (3); 1β, 3β, 21β-trihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (4); 3β, 7β, 21β-trihydroxy-urs-1-en-28-oic acid-13-lactone (5); and 21-oxo-1β, 3β-dihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (6) were afforded. Elucidation of the structures of these metabolites was primarily based on 1D and 2D NMR and HR-MS data. Metabolite 2 was a new compound. In addition, the anti-HCV activity of compounds 1–6 was evaluated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Context: Prunella vulgaris L. (Labiatae) is a perennial plant common in China and Europe and is rich in rosmarinic acid (RA), ursolic acid (UA), and oleanolic acid (OA). The dried spica of P. vulgaris has been used as traditional medicine in China for over a hundred years. To our best knowledge, no study has been conducted to determine the influence of harvesting time on concentrations of bioactive compounds of P. vulgaris. Objective: In the current study, changes in the bioactive compounds present in spicas were investigated at five harvest times over 2 months. Materials and methods: Plant material were collected at five fixed dates: 5th May, 20th May, 7th June, 15th June, and 25th June and assayed for chemical contents by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: Among the different harvest times, the highest levels of RA (56.81 mg·g−1), UA (2.77 mg·g−1), and OA (0.91 mg·g−1) were found on 5th May, whereas the lowest levels of RA (1.66 mg·g−1), UA (2.27 mg·g−1), and OA (0.43 mg·g−1) were observed on 25th June. Discussion and conclusion: As each medicinal product has its own content requirement for different bioactive components, the optimum harvest time might be determined according to the accumulation dynamics of target compound in dried spicas of P. vulgaris. These results may be useful for determining the optimal harvest time when bioactive components are at the maximum level, which is in early May. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three new clerodane diterpenoids were isolated from the aerial parts of Salvia involucrata. • The absolute configuration of compounds 1 - 3 was established by comparison of the theoretical and experimental ECD curves. • DP4+ statistical analysis was performed to determine the relative configuration of compound 2. • Compounds 1 and 8 displayed moderate cytotoxic activity against PC3 and K562 cancer cell-lines, respectively. • Salvia species belonging to the subgenus Calosphace, chemically diverge from Salvia species grown in the Old World and China. From the leaves of Salvia involucrata Cav., eight clerodane diterpenoids were isolated, of which 1 − 3 have not been previously described. Their structures were established by spectroscopic and spectrometric means and named as involucratin A (1), involucratin B (2), and involucratin C (3). The absolute configuration of compounds 1 and 3 was established using a combination of experimental and theoretical ECD data, whereas the one for compound 2 was determined by NOESY experiments together with ECD and DP4+ statistical analysis. Furthermore, the known clerodane compounds (5 R ,7 R ,8 S ,9 R ,10 R ,12 R)-7-hydroxycleroda-1,3,13(16),14-tetraene-17,12;18,19-diolide (4) , (‒)-hardwickiic acid (5), 1-deoxybacrispine (6), 7α-hydroxybacchotricuneatin A (7), and kingidiol (8), along with the flavonoid salvigenin, and a mixture of ursolic and oleanolic acids were also isolated. The antiproliferative activity of compounds 1 ‒ 3, 5 , and 7, 8 was evaluated against a panel of cancer cell-lines (six strains) using the sulforhodamine B assay. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which isolated α-glucosidase inhibitory compounds from the dried herbs of Aeschynanthus superbus collected from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China. Methanol under reflux was used to extract the concentrated form of the compounds and column chromatography was applied to isolate them. The compounds are lupeol, carissol, 3Β-hydroxy-5,12-oleanadien-28-oic acid, ursolic acid and 5,7,4῎-trihydroxy-6-methoxyflavone.

• A valuable red callus and a common yellow-green callus were induced and cultivated. • Morphological and metabolic differences between two calluses were described. • Cyanidin-3-O-galactoside and glucoside were first identified in C. paliurus callus. • Interpret the mechanisms causing the differences between two calluses by RNA-seq. Cyclocarya paliurus (C. paliurus) is a unique plant growing in China with many bioactive components, but is endangered due to the great difficulties in seed germination and asexual propagation. Plant tissue culture can be used to overcome the resource shortage which severely limits the development and utilization of this plant. In the present paper, five typical types of C. paliurus callus lines with different morphologies, including a novel red callus line (CR) and a common light yellow-green callus line (CYG), were obtained after a long time induction and cultivation. Three triterpenoids (betulinic acid, oleanolic acid and ursolic acid) and two polyphenols ((+)-catechin and procyanidin B1) were all detected in both CR and CYG, but differed greatly in content. The contents of total triterpenoids and total polyphenols in CR were all significantly higher than that in CYG. However, anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-O-galactoside and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside) were only found in CR. Both the growth rate and biomass increment of CYG were slightly higher than that of CR. The results of high throughput RNA sequencing indicated that the expression of the triterpenoid biosynthesis pathway genes, such as HMGS (hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase), HMGR (hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase), FPS (farnesyl diphosphate synthase), SS (squalene synthase), SE (squalene epoxidase) and β-AS (beta-incense resin synthase), significantly increased in CR compared with CYG, which led to a marked rising of triterpenoid contents. Similarly, the up-regulated expression of polyphenol biosynthesis pathway genes, including CHI (chalcone isomerase) , N3D (naringenin 3-dioxygenase) , F 3′ H (flavonoid 3′-monooxygenase) , DFR (dihydroflavonol 4-reductase), and 3GalT (galactosyltransferase), improved the polyphenol contents in CR, especially anthocyanin content. The decreased transcription factor expression of MYC2 and ERF003 resulted in a high triterpenoid content by increasing the expression of pathway genes in the CR. Meanwhile, the up-regulated MYB7 , MYB1 , bHLH122 , WD40 , ERF105 and down-regulated MYB44 , MYC2 , ERF003 enhanced the polyphenol content of the CR by stimulating the expression of the related pathway genes. RT-qPCR (quantitative real-time PCR) determination further validated the above-mentioned differentially expressed genes analysis of RNA-sequencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Worldwide, gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors. Ursolic acid is a plant metabolite and pentacyclic triterpenoid used in traditional Chinese medicine. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ursolic acid the growth and apoptosis of SGC7901 and BGC823 human gastric cancer cells in vitro . MATERIAL AND METHODS SGC7901 and BGC823 human gastric cancer cells and normal GES-1 gastric epithelial cells were cultured with increasing doses of ursolic acid at 50, 60, and 100 µM. Cell viability and proliferation were assessed using an MTT assay. Flow cytometry was used to assess cell apoptosis. Western blot was used to measure procaspase-8, procaspase-9, procaspase-3, and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) expression. The expression of receptor interaction protein 3 (RIP3) was examined by Western blot and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Morphological changes in the gastric cancer cells were determined using Hoechst 33342 staining following ursolic acid treatment. RESULTS Ursolic acid inhibited the viability of SGC7901 and BGC823 cells but not GES-1 cells. Ursolic acid treatment significantly induced apoptosis in SGC7901 and BGC823 cells when compared with GES-1 cells (P<0.05), and significantly increased the activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, poly ADPribose polymerase (PARP), and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Treatment of SGC7901 and BGC823 cells with ursolic acid for 72 h did not induce necroptosis. CONCLUSIONS Ursolic acid inhibited the proliferation of SGC7901 and BGC823 human gastric cancer cells in vitro through a caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway.

Chaenomeles speciosa (Sweet) Nakai is a medicinal plant. Until date, there are no studies focusing on comparing the chemical profiles, antioxidant activity and α -glucosidase inhibitory activity of the dried fruits of C. speciosa from different production regions. In the study, we investigated the chemical components of dried fruits of C. speciosa from Yunnan, Chongqing, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces in China in relation to the antioxidant activity and α -glucosidase inhibitory activity. C. speciosa from Yunnan had higher total flavonoid (47.92 ± 3.79 mg/g), total polyphenol (29.15 ± 0.29 mg/g) and polysaccharide (27.60 ± 1.56 mg/g) contents than plants from other production areas. Samples from Yunnan, Zhejiang and Anhui (all > 3200 mg/kg) had higher free amino acid contents than those from Chongqing (2286.66 mg/kg). Oleanolic acid and ursolic acid levels were highest in samples from Zhejiang (555.98 ± 20.88 μg/g) and Anhui (321.06 ± 14.64 μg/g), respectively. C. speciosa from Chongqing had low total flavonoid, total polyphenol, polysaccharide, free amino acid, oleanolic acid and ursolic acid contents but high levels of palmitic acid (12.04 ± 0.02 mg/g) and stearic acid (2.23 ± 0.08 mg/g). Among four production areas, Yunnan represented the highest antioxidant activity and α -glucosidase inhibitory activity. In addition, correlation analysis revealed that total flavonoid, total polyphenol, polysaccharide and ursolic acid were the major components responsible for the antioxidant activity of C. speciosa , while total flavonoid and polysaccharide were the main contributors for α -glucosidase inhibitory activity of the plant. These results would be helpful for evaluating the quality of C. speciosa in the different production areas.

The article presents a study which investigates on the chemical constituents of Sorbus tianschanica specie. The study was conducted to the leaves of the said specie that was collected in Tianshan Mountain in Urumqi of China in July 2001. The chemical constituents of several compounds found in the leaves of Sorbus tianschanica including hexacosanoic acid, ursolic acid, and quercetin are also presented.

Contents of total flavonoids, total phenolics, total triterpenes, total condensed tannin and total saponins in peels, flesh and endocarps of Chaenomeles speciosa (CSP) and Chaenomeles sinensis (CSS) were determined by colorimetric method, while 5 phenolics (vanillic, gallic, chlorogenic, ferulic and p-coumaric acids), 2 triterpenes (oleanolic and ursolic acids), and 3 flavonoids (rutin, catechin and epicatechin) were identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and HPLC, and antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of them also were evaluated as well as their digestive characteristics. In the correlation analysis, total phenolics, vanillic acid, catechin, ursolic acid and oleanolic acid all contribute to DPPH(·) scavenge capacity, gallic acid contributes to total ferric reducing antioxidant power, while total triterpenes, total saponins, chlorogenic acid and ferullic acid contribute to α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. In the principal component analysis, endocarps of CSP and CSS both show better quality than their peels and flesh, respectively. In vitro digestion can increase contents of total flavonoids, total condensed tannin and total saponins, while contents of total phenolics and total triterpenes decreased greatly. Our study would contribute to the full use of discarded parts of the 2 Chaenomeles and be helpful to establish a good foundation for further research of CSP and CSS., (© 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®)

Objective: To establish an HPLC fingerprint of Eriobotrya japonica flower., Methods: 13 batches of Eriobotrya japonica flowers from different habitats were analyzed by HPLC with ursolic acid as reference substance. The chromatographic condition was performed on Alltech Apollo C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm), eluted with mobile phase containing methanol and 0.1% glacial acetic acid in gradient mode. The flow rate was 0.5 mL/min and the detection wavelength was set at 210 nm. The temperature of column was 20 degrees C., Result: The HPLC fingerprint of Eriobotrya japonica flower had been established. There were 17 common peaks, two of which were identified by reference substances. 13 batches of sample from different habitats can be distinguished from their fingerprints., Conclusion: This method is reasonable and reliable, which can be used for quality evaluation of Eriobotrya japonica flower.

Objective: To investigate the influence of storage period and grading standards on the quality of Prunella vulgaris in order to provide a theoretical basis for standardized cultivation., Method: The spices of P. vulgaris in different storage period (including current year, first-year and second-year) were collected from Lujiang base in Anhui Province. The samples were randomized, with the methods of morphologic characteristics and commercial size on P. vulgaris, the samples were graded into three grades; according to the methods from the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, water-soluble extracts, ethanol-soluble extracts, total ash and acid insoluble ash were measured, respectively, utilizing the UV spectrophotometry to detection the contents of total flavonoids and polysaccharides, the levels of ursolic acid, oleanolic acid and rosmarinic acid were adopted by HPLC., Result: The total ash and acid insoluble ash of P. vulgaris showed significantly increase during prolonged storage; however, the content of water-soluble extracts, ethanol-soluble, total flavonoids, polysaccharides, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid,rosmarinic acid showed significantly decrease during prolonged storage. The spica of P. vulgaris exhibited no rules differences between the quality and grading standards, The second-degree belongs to high content of total flavonoids; the high content of polysaccharides was first-degree; the total ash and acid insoluble ash of spicas exhibited gradually decreased from first-degree to third-grade, and the content of water-soluble extracts, ethanol-soluble extracts,ursolic acid,oleanolic acid, rosmarinic acid showed gradually increased from first-degree to third-grade., Conclusion: The current year was a suitable storage time of spicas from P. vulgaris could be selected; and the main bioactive components highest level of P. vulgaris spicas was third-degree, second-grade next, first-degree minimum.

Oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA) are the main triterpene acids in persimmon fruit, and squalene synthase and 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclases are important enzymes in pentacyclic triterpene biosynthesis. In order to study their relationship, DkSQS and DkOSC were cloned from persimmon fruits in the present study. The full-length cDNA of DkSQS was 1647 bp, containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 1245 bp that encoded a peptide of 415 amino acids (AA). The 3'-end of DkOSC cDNA fragment contained 522 bp, including a partial ORF of 298 bp, a full poly A tail that encoded 98 AA. Two cultivars of persimmon, i.e. cv. Nishimurawase and cv. Niuxinshi, were used to study the content of OA and UA and the related gene expression. Results showed that OA and UA contents changed in both cultivars during fruit development, the difference in cv. Nishimurawase was greater than that in cv. Niuxinshi. The expression of DkSQS and DkOSC had no obvious correlation with the biosynthesis of OA and UA in the flesh. There may be two main reasons. Firstly, different enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of triterpenes and mutual adjustment were existed in different gene expressions. Secondly, it was not clear that the DkOSC cloned in this research belonged to which subfamily. Therefore, the real relationship between triterpenes and DkSQS and DkOSC in persimmon fruits is still to be revealed.

Objective: In order to provide a theoretical foundation for the medically effective ingredient-based selection of elite cultivars in Comnus officinalis, a study has been conducted on the variation in medicinal effective ingredients of the fruit from the genuine producing areas, the correlation among effective medicinal ingredients and the correlation between effective ingredients and fruit shape as well as nutritional indexes., Method: The completely mature fruit was collected from the genuine producing areas Chunan county and Lin'an city of Zhejiang province. The contents of colchicine, ursolic acid and oleanolic acid were determined by HPLC, and vertical diameter/transversal diameter of the fruits, soluble solid matter and percentage of fresh flesh to the fruit were also measured., Result: (1) Ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, and colchicine in fruits ranged from 0.1010% to 0.4786%, 0.0149% to 0.1274% and 0.59% to 2.30%, respectively, and their RSD were 34.33%, 40.48% and 28.50%, respectively. (2) The correlation between effective ingredients and that between effective ingredients and fruit shape as well as nutritional indexes were as follows: the content of ursolic acid was significantly correlated with that of oleanolic acid with a correlation coefficient of 0.9796; both ursolic acid and oleanolic acid were in significantly negative correlation with soluble solid matter with a correlation coefficient of -0.5544 and -0.5118, respectively; colchicine was significantly associated with soluble solid matter with a correlation coefficient of 0.2412; colchicine, ursolic acid and oleanolic acid were in significantly negative correlation with the percentage of fresh flesh with a correlation coefficient of -0.2507, -0.2443 and -0.2406, respectively; three effective ingredients showed no correlation with the ratio of vertical diameter to transversal diameter of the fruit., Conclusion: There is a significant difference in effective ingredients among individual trees, which means that there is a big potential for selection of cultivars. Individual tree-based selection should be mainly adopted when effective ingredients are used as a main index in selection on the basis of the correlation among effective ingredients and that between effective ingredients and fruit shape as well as nutritional indexes, while ursolic acid could be combined with oleanolic acid to be used as an index and a preliminary screen could be conducted using soluble solid matter.

Objective: To study chemical constituents of Salvia miltiorrhiz of Lijiang., Methods: The constituents were separated and purified by column chromatography with silica gel. Their structures were identified on the basis of physical and spectral data., Results: Eleven compounds were isolated and identified as: (1) ferlalic acid; (2) O-hydroxybenzoic acid; (3) protocatechualdehyde; (4) beta-3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-lactic acid; (5) ursolic acid; (6) 6,7-dimethoxy-5,4'-dihydroxy-flavonol-3-O-glucoside; (7) carnosol; (8) tanshinone II(A); (9) tanshinone I; (10) 5,6-dehydrosugiol; (11) crypotanshinone.

Two ergosterins and two triterpenoids were isolated from the dried fruit bodies of Ascomyce Bulgaria inquinans. By means of chemical (hydrolysis) and spectroscopic methods (NMR, El-MS), their structures were established as betuinic acid (1), cerevisterol (2), (24R)ergosta-7, 22E-diene-3beta, 5alpha, 6beta-triol-3-O-palmitate (3) and ursolic acid (4). Compound 3 is a new compound.