Hongling Wang

Chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic properties of Actinidia arguta essential oil (AEO) were evaluated. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis identified 56 chemical compounds, with the most abundant being Squalene (23.08%), γ-sitrostorol (8.10%), and β-Tocopherol (7.01%). Whereas the AEO had significant antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, it showed mild efficacy against Bacillus subtilis and Microsporum canis. On the contrary, the Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, were not susceptible to the AEO pressure. On the other hand, the AEO exhibited strong antioxidant activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), β-carotene, and hydroxyl radicals, with IC₅₀ values of 117.60, 73.60, and 35.15 μg/mL, respectively. Additionally, compared to the PC-3 or HT-29 cell lines, the A549 cells were more susceptible to the AEO (IC₅₀; 6.067 mg/mL). Besides, the confocal laser scanning microscopy imaging showed that 16 mg/mL of the AEO-induced apoptosis in the A549 cell lines. Our data indicated that the AEO might be useful in the food and pharmaceutical industry. Graphical abstract Preparation of Actinidia arguta essential oil (a) and schematic overview of the experiment (b)

As a medicinal and edible homologous fungi, Morchella is rich in multiple metabolites. The metabolite is a kind of essential substance with active components. In this study, Morchella fruit bodies and mycelium were selected to identify their metabolite components. The primary metabolites of the two experimental groups were analyzed using a method of widely targeted metabolome based on UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. A total of 354 different metabolites were characterized, including 188 upregulated ones and 166 downregulated ones in the fruit bodies. Further, the main 20 metabolic pathways of the metabolites were analyzed. The first 9 ones are tyrosine metabolites, thyroid hormone biosynthetic pathway, phenylalanine metabolites, linoleic metabolites synthetic pathway, glycerophosphate metabolic pathway, choline in tumors, methyl butyl metabolites, arginine synthetic pathway, arginine and proline metabolites. This study provides theoretical basis for the analysis of metabolic pathway of Morchella fruit bodies and mycelium that serve for further research of their medicinal mechanism and effective components.

The purpose of this study was to explore the single factors including the time, solid–liquid ratio, choice of organic solvent, and ethanol concentration that influenced the extraction of flavonoids and triterpenoids from Urtica and firstly optimized the ultrasonic-assisted extract conditions using the response surface method. The ethanol extract of Urtica was further purified by polyamide column chromatography and macroporous resin column chromatography. The results showed that flavonoid compounds yield and triterpenoid compounds were 3.432% and 9.184%, respectively. LC-MS analysis was applied for identification and confirmation of flavonoids, triterpenoids, and a small quantity of polyphenols. In addition, the bacteriostasis experiments of the products were conducted. The results showed flavonoid, and triterpenoid compounds from Urtica showed good antibacterial activities. Novelty Impact Statement The ultrasonic-assisted extraction method was used to extract flavonoids and triterpenes from Urtica, and the response surface method was used to optimize the extraction process conditions of triterpenes at the single factor level for the first time. The study found for the first time that there was a large amount of dodemorph and other antimicrobial active substances in the purified flavonoids and triterpene extracts of Urtica through LC-MS analysis. Antimicrobial experiments have confirmed that Urtica on the part of some gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria as well as some plant pathogenic fungus have an excellent inhibitory effect.