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This study attempted to improve commercial Arabica coffee quality by integrating flavor precursors with anaerobic germination. Using raw coffee beans as materials, anaerobic germination was conducted with 5 g/100 g of flavor precursors (sucrose, glucose, fructose). The chemical composition and sensory quality of roasted coffee beans were analyzed. Results showed that adding flavor precursors facilitated the harmonization of water-soluble chemical components and altered aroma characteristics. Specifically, the inclusion of flavor precursors significantly increased the levels of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural and volatile aldehydes. Principal component analysis (PCA) on chemical composition dataset revealed 48.7% variability. Sensory analysis, employing the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) cupping protocol, demonstrated that combining flavor precursors with anaerobic germination transformed coffee flavor properties, enhanced quality, and substantially increased sensory scores (p

Phenolic acids are one of the major secondary metabolites accumulated in Salvia miltiorrhiza with various pharmacological activities. Moderate drought stress can promote the accumulation of phenolic acids in S. miltiorrhiza, while the mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, we performed transcriptome sequencing of S. miltiorrhiza under drought treatment. A total of 47,169 unigenes were successfully annotated in at least one of the six major databases. Key enzyme genes involved in the phenolic acid biosynthetic pathway, including SmPAL, SmC4H, Sm4CL, SmTAT, SmHPPR, SmRAS and SmCYP98A14, were induced. Unigenes annotated as laccase correlated with SmRAS and SmCYP98A14 were analyzed, and seven candidates that may be involved in the key step of SalB biosynthesis by RA were obtained. A total of 15 transcription factors significantly up-regulated at 2 h and 4 h potentially regulating phenolic acid biosynthesis were screened out. TRINITY_DN14213_c0_g1 (AP2/ERF) significantly transactivated the expression of SmC4H and SmRAS, suggesting its role in the regulation of phenolic acid biosynthesis. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of differential expression genes showed that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and plant hormone signal transduction were significantly higher. The ABA-dependent pathway is essential for resistance to drought and phenolic acid accumulation. Expression patterns in drought and ABA databases showed that four PYLs respond to both drought and ABA, and three potential SnRK2 family members were annotated and analyzed. The present study presented a comprehensive transcriptome analysis of S. miltiorrhiza affected by drought, which provides a rich source for understanding the molecular mechanism facing abiotic stress in S. miltiorrhiza.

Inhibition of angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) is an important means of treating hypertension since it plays an important regulatory function in the renin-angiotensin system. The aim of this study was to investigate the ACE inhibitory effect of bioactive peptides from green coffee beans using in silico and in vitro methods. Alcalase and thermolysin were employed to hydrolyze protein extract from coffee beans. Bioactive peptides were identified by LC-MS/MS analysis coupled with database searching. The potential bioactivities of peptides were predicted by in silico screening, among which five novel peptides may have ACE inhibitory activity. In vitro assay was carried out to determine the ACE inhibitory degree. Two peptides (IIPNEVY, ITPPVMLPP) were obtained with IC50 values of 57.54 and 40.37 μM, respectively. Furthermore, it was found that two inhibitors bound to the receptor protein on similar sites near the S1 active pocket of ACE to form stable enzyme–peptide complexes through molecular docking, and the Lineweaver–Burk plot showed that IIPNEVY was a noncompetitive inhibitor, and ITPPVMLPP was suggested to be a mixed-type inhibitor. Our study demonstrated that two peptides isolated from coffee have potential applications as antihypertensive agents.

CULLIN (CUL) proteins are E3 ubiquitin ligases that are involved in a wide variety of biological processes as well as in response to stress in plants. In Salvia miltiorrhiza, CUL genes have not been characterized and its role in plant development, stress response and secondary metabolite synthesis have not been studied. In this study, genome-wide analyses were performed to identify and to predict the structure and function of CUL of S. miltiorrhiza. Eight CUL genes were identified from the genome of S. miltiorrhiza. The CUL genes were clustered into four subgroups according to phylogenetic relationships. The CUL domain was highly conserved across the family of CUL genes. Analysis of cis-acting elements suggested that CUL genes might play important roles in a variety of biological processes, including abscission reaction acid (ABA) processing. To investigate this hypothesis, we treated hairy roots of S. miltiorrhiza with ABA. The expression of CUL genes varied obviously after ABA treatment. Co-expression network results indicated that three CUL genes might be involved in the biosynthesis of phenolic acid or tanshinone. In summary, the mining of the CUL genes in the whole genome of S. miltiorrhiza contribute novel information to the understanding of the CUL genes and its functional roles in plant secondary metabolites, growth and development.

This study aimed to improve the brewing quality of commercial Arabica coffee through anaerobic germination. Changes in important compounds and cupping scores of germination roasting coffee with different germination degrees were investigated by 1H NMR, HS-SPME-GC-MS and sensory analysis. Statistical analysis of multivariate analysis results indicated that 6 water-soluble chemical components and 8 volatile chemical components have the potential to be markers of germinated roasting coffee. In addition, germination significantly reduced caffeine content and acrylamide formation in roasted coffee. Sensory analysis according to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) cupping protocol demonstrated that anaerobic germination modified flavor attributes, improved the quality, and increased sensory scores. Furthermore, anaerobic sprouting increased fruity descriptors, but over-sprouting did not improve overall attributes while producing both fermentative and vegetable descriptors. Therefore, suitable anaerobic germination of green coffee beans can be used as a new strategy to improve the flavor of commercial Arabica coffee.

The metabolic modulation of major flavor precursors during coffee cherry ripening is critical for the characteristic coffee flavor formation. However, the formation mechanism of flavor precursors during coffee cherry ripening remains unknown. In the present study, a colorimeter was employed to distinguish different maturity stages of coffee cherry based on the coffee cherry skin colors, and proteomics and metabolomics profiles were integrated to comprehensively investigate the flavor precursor dynamics involved in Arabica coffee cherry ripening. The data obtained in the present study provide an integral view of the critical pathways involved in flavor precursor changes during coffee cherry ripening. Moreover, the contributions of critical events in regulating the development of flavor precursors during the four ripening stages of coffee cherries, including the biosynthesis and metabolism pathways of organic acids, amino acids, flavonoids, and sugars, are discussed. Overall, a total of 456 difference express metabolites were selected, and they were identified as being concentrated in the four maturity stages of coffee cherries; furthermore, 76 crucial enzymes from the biosynthesis and metabolism of sugars, organic acids, amino acids, and flavonoids contributed to flavor precursor formation. Among these enzymes, 45 difference express proteins that could regulate 40 primary amino acids and organic acids flavor precursors were confirmed. This confirmation indicates that the metabolic pathways of amino acids and organic acids played a significant role in the flavor formation of Arabica coffee cherries during ripening. These results provide new insights into the protease modulation of flavor precursor changes in Arabica coffee cherry ripening.

As primary coffee by-products, Arabica coffee husks are largely discarded during coffee-drying, posing a serious environmental threat. However, coffee husks could be used as potential material for extracting pectin polysaccharides, with high bioactivities and excellent processing properties. Thus, the present study aimed to extract the pectin polysaccharide from Arabica coffee husk(s) (CHP). The CHP yield was calculated after vacuum freeze-drying, and its average molecular weight (Mw) was detected by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The structural characteristics of CHP were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Additionally, the rheological and antioxidant properties of CHP and the inhibition capacities of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) with different concentrations were evaluated. The interaction mechanisms between galacturonic acid (GalA) and the AGE receptor were analyzed using molecular docking. The results demonstrated that the CHP yield was 19.13 ± 0.85%, and its Mw was 1.04 × 106 Da. The results of the structural characteristics results revealed that CHP was an amorphous and low-methoxyl pectic polysaccharide linked with an α-(1→6) glycosidic bond, and mainly composed of rhamnose (Rha, 2.55%), galacturonic acid (GalA, 45.01%), β-N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc, 5.17%), glucose (Glc, 32.29%), galactose (Gal, 6.80%), xylose (Xyl, 0.76%), and arabinose (Ara, 7.42%). The surface microstructure of CHP was rough with cracks, and its aqueous belonged to non-Newtonian fluid with a higher elastic modulus (G′). Furthermore, the results of the antioxidant properties indicated that CHP possessed vigorous antioxidant activities in a dose manner, and the inhibition capacities of AGEs reached their highest of 66.0 ± 0.35% at 1.5 mg/mL of CHP. The molecular docking prediction demonstrated that GalA had a good affinity toward AGE receptors by −6.20 kcal/mol of binding energy. Overall, the study results provide a theoretical basis for broadening the application of CHP in the food industry.

Formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) widely expressed in neutrophils and other phagocytes. FPRs play important roles in host defense, inflammation, and the pathogenesis of infectious and inflammatory diseases. Because of these functions, FPRs are potential targets for anti-inflammatory therapies. In order to search for potentially novel anti-inflammatory agents, we examined Ganoderma (Lingzhi), a Chinese medicinal herbs known for its anti-inflammatory effects, and found that compound 18 (C18) derived from Ganoderma cochlear could limit the inflammatory response through FPR-related signaling pathways. Further studies showed that C18 could bind to FPR2 and induce conformation change of the receptor that differed from the conformational change induced by the pan-agonist, WKYMVm. C18 inhibited at the receptor level and blocked WKYMVm signaling through FPR2, resulting in reduced superoxide production and compromised cell chemotaxis. These results identified for the first time that a Ganoderma-derived component with inhibitory effects that acts through a G protein-coupled receptor FPR2. Considering its less than optimal IC50 value, further optimization of C18 would be necessary for future applications.

Abstract Meroterpenoids are hybrid natural products that partially originate from the terpenoid pathway. Ganoderma meroterpenoids (GMs) are a type of meroterpenoids containing a 1,2,4-trisubstituted phenyl and a polyunsaturated terpenoid part. Over last 5 years, great efforts have been made to conduct phytochemistry research on the genus Ganoderma, which have led to the isolation and identification of a number of GMs. These newly reported GMs showed diverse structures and a wide range of biological activities. This review gives an overview of new GMs from genus Ganoderma and their biological activities and biosynthetic pathway, focusing on the period from 2013 until 2018. Graphical Abstract

Five new thiohydantoin derivatives (1–5) were isolated from the rhizomes of Lepidium meyenii Walp. NMR (1H and 13C NMR, 1H−1H COSY, HSQC, and HMBC), HRESIMS, and ECD were employed for the structure elucidation of new compounds. Significantly, the structure of compound 1 was the first example of thiohydantoins with thioxohexahydroimidazo [1,5-a] pyridine moiety. Additionally, compounds 2 and 3 possess rare disulfide bonds. Except for compound 4, all isolates were assessed for neuroprotective activities in corticosterone (CORT)-stimulated PC12 cell damage. Among them, compound (−)-3 exhibited moderate neuroprotective activity (cell viability: 68.63%, 20 μM) compared to the positive control desipramine (DIM) (cell viability: 88.49%, 10 μM).

Three antimicrobial sphingolipids were separated by bioassay-guided isolation from the chloroform fraction of the crude methanol extract of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) stems and identified as (2S,3S,4R,10E)-2-[(2'R)-2-hydroxytetra-cosanoylamino]-1,3,4-octadecanetriol-10-ene (1), 1-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl(2S,3S,4R,10E)-2-[(2'R)-2-hydroxy-tetracosanoylamino]-1,3,4-octadecanetriol-10-ene (2) and soya-cerebroside I (3) by their physicochemical properties and spectroscopic analysis. They were evaluated to show antifungal and antibacterial activity on test microorganisms including four fungal and three bacterial species. Among them, compound 1, a relatively low polarity aglycone, exhibited stronger antimicrobial activity than its corresponding glycoside 2. The results indicated that sphingolipids could be the main antimicrobial compounds in the crude methanol extract of cucumber stems.

Three new trinor-cycloartane glycosides, 15α-hydroxy-16-dehydroxy-16(24)-en-foetidinol-3-O-β-D-xylopyranoside (1), 28-hydroxy-foetidinol-3-O-β-D-xylopyranoside (2) and foetidinol-3-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1”→3’)-β-D-xylopyranoside (3) together with the known compound foetidinol-3-O-β-D-xylopyranoside (4) were isolated from the n-BuOH fraction of the roots of Cimicifuga foetida. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical reaction data.

Five new 9,19-cycloartane triterpene diglycosides, which have been named cimiaceroside C (1), and cimifosides A-D (2-5) together with the known compounds cimiracemoside D (6), cimidahurine (7) and α-D-glucopyranosyl-l-β-D-fructofuranoside (8) were isolated from the rhizome of Cimicifuga foetida. The new triterpene diglycosides 1-5 were identified as cimiacerol-3-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1''→3')-β-D-xylopyranoside, 12β-hydroxycimigenol-3-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1''→3')-β-D-xylopyranoside, 25-Oacetylcimig- enol-3-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1''→3')-β-D-xylopyranoside, 24- acetylhydroshengmanol-3-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1''→3')-β-D-xylopyranoside and 26- deoxyacetylacteol-3-O-β-D-xylo- pyranosyl-(1''→3')-β-D-xylopyranoside, respectively, based on analysis of their spectral data and chemical reactions.

Aims: This work aims to study the in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities of tetracyclic triterpenoids compounds actein and 26-deoxyactein. Further, the mechanism is investigated. Methods: In vitro, a modified MTT method was used to assay the cytotoxicities of actein and 26-deoxyactein in 12 human tumor cell lines. In vivo, mouse sarcoma S180 and human lung cancer A549 cells were respectively implanted subcutaneously in ICR mice and nude mice to establish implanted tumor models. Flow cytometry (FCM) was used to assay the cycle distribution of the tumor cells. Immunohistochemistry was used to measure CD31-positive expression in the xenogrft tumor by analyzing microvessel density (MVD). In addition, acute toxicities of actein and 26-deoxyactein were also evaluated. Results: Actein and 26-deoxyactein inhibited the proliferation of the 12 human cancer cell lines tested with the values of 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) between 12.29 and 88.39 μg/mL. In vivo, both actein (3-27 mg/kg) and 26-deoxyactein (3-27 mg/kg) significantly inhibited the growth of the implanted sarcoma S180 in a dose-dependent manner. Actein (10, 30 mg/kg) and 26-deoxyactein (10, 30 mg/kg) markedly inhibited the xenograft growth with T/C (%) values of 38%, 55% for actein, and 35%, 49% for 26-deoxyactein. Compared with the vehicle control, actein (10, 30 mg/kg) and 26-deoxyactein (10, 30 mg/kg) significantly reduced the MVD in the xenograft tumor. The FCM result showed that human leukemia HL-60 cells were arrested at G1 phase after treated with either actein (6.25-25 μg/mL) or 26-deoxyactein (6.25-25 μg/mL) for 48 h. A limited trial in mice showed that both of the minimal lethal doses (MLDs) of actein and 26-deoxyactein were over 5 g/kg. Conclusions: Both actein and 26-deoxyactein have low toxicities. Importantly, both these two tetracyclic triterpenoids compounds isolated from rhizome of Cimicifuga foetida L. have significant antitumor activities in vitro and in vivo, which is associated with cell cycle arrest and angiogenesis inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three antimicrobial sphingolipids were separated by bioassay-guided isolation from the chloroform fraction of the crude methanol extract of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) stems and identified as (2S,3S,4R,10E)-2-[(2′R)-2-hydroxytetra-cosanoylamino]-1,3,4-octadecanetriol-10-ene (1), 1-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl(2S,3S,4R,10E)-2-[(2′R)-2-hydroxytetracosanoylamino]- 1,3,4-octadecanetriol-10-ene (2) and soya-cerebroside I (3) by their physicochemical properties and spectroscopic analysis. They were evaluated to show antifungal and antibacterial activity on test microorganisms including four fungal and three bacterial species. Among them, compound 1, a relatively low polarity aglycone, exhibited stronger antimicrobial activity than its corresponding glycoside 2. The results indicated that sphingolipids could be the main antimicrobial compounds in the crude methanol extract of cucumber stems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new triterpenoid saponins, xuedanglycosides A–C 1–3, resp., along with six known ones, were isolated from the rhizomes of Hemsleya chinensis.By detailed analysis of the NMR spectra, by chemical methods, and by comparison with spectral data of known compounds, the structures of new compounds were determined to be 16α,23αepoxy2β,3α,20βtrihydroxy10α,23αcucurbita5,24dien11on2yl βDglucopyranoside 1, 2β,3α,16α,20βtetrahydroxycucurbita5,25diene11,22dion2yl βDglucopyranoside 2, and oleanolic acid 28Oβxylopyranosyl1→6Oβglucopyranoside 3. In addition, hemslecin A 2OβDglucopyranoside 6, hemsamabilinin B 7, and hemslonin A 9 were obtained for the first time from this plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new trinor-cycloartane glycosides, 15a-hydroxy-16-dehydroxy-16(24)- en-foetidinol-3-O-β-D-xylopyranoside (1), 28-hydroxy-foetidinol-3-O-β-D-xylopyranoside (2) and foetidinol-3-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1"→3')-β-D-xylopyranoside (3) together with the known compound foetidinol-3-O-β-D-xylopyranoside (4) were isolated from the n- BuOH fraction of the roots of Cimicifuga foetida. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical reaction data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new 9,19cyclolanostanetype triterpenes, 24Oacetyl25anhydroshengmanol3OβDxylopyranoside 1, 25Obutylcimigenol3OβDxylopyranoside 2, 12βhydrocimigenol3one 3, and 12βhydrocimigenol1en3one 4, together with 15 known analogues were isolated from the rhizome of Cimicifuga yunnanensisHsiao. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic and chemical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new spirostanol saponins, 1?,3?,5?,25Sspirostan1,3diol 1?Dxylopyranoside 1 and 1?,3?,5?,25Sspirostan1,3diol 1?Lrhamnopyranosyl1?2?Dfucopyranoside 2, along with two known compounds, 1?,3?,5?,25Sspirostan1,3diol 1?Lrhamnopyranosyl1?2?Dxylopyranoside 3 and 1?,3?,4?,5?,25Sspirostan1,3,4,5tetrol 5?Dglucopyranoside 4 were isolated from the whole plant of Reineckia carnea.The structures of the new steroids were determined by detailed analysis of their 1D and 2DNMR spectra and chemical methods, and by comparison with spectral data of known compounds. Compounds 3and 4were isolated from the genus Reineckiafor the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractChlorogenic acid (CGA) that exhibits various bioactivities holds promise as a natural and safe medicinal agent or food supplement for promoting human health. However, the direct formulation for treatment is severely limited by its low water solubility, poor bioavailability, low plasma stability, and side effects caused by high doses. Fortunately, nanotechnology is widely applied for drug delivery to overcome the partial disadvantages of traditional drug molecules or naturally active components. The properties of CGA containing multiple hydroxyl groups as a green reductant and stabilizer have made the development of CGA-loaded nanomaterials possible. In this review, recent advancements in the design of CGA-loaded nanomaterials based on organic or inorganic nanomaterials were discussed, and the positive effects of nanomaterials on the release properties of active molecules and their targeted distribution in biological systems were indicated. These nanomaterials enhance the physiological activity of CGA in the treatment of various diseases. Moreover, in the field of food, CGA-loaded nanocomposites have been found to optimize the mechanical properties of nano-food packaging, leading to an extended shelf life of food products. The findings of this review provide a valuable foundation and reference for the development of novel CGA-loaded nanomedicines and nano-food packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]