Lutao Zhang

Lycium barbarum L. (abbreviated to L. barbarum), a traditional dual-use plant as food and medicine, contains polysaccharides from Lycium barbarum L. (LBPs) as its key bioactive component. This study aimed to examine the phenotypic characteristics, polysaccharide content, and their correlation with activity across various commercial grades of L. barbarum. Five commercial grades of L. barbarum were selected for analysis to determine their phenotypic characteristics and polysaccharide content. High-performance liquid chromatogram-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) and ¹H NMR were employed to analyze the monosaccharide composition of LBPs, of which their hypoglycemic activity was further valuated. Results revealed significant differences in fruit weight and diameter among different grades (p < 0.05), while floating rate and bulk density remained unaffected by grades. Variations were observed in the chromaticity coordinates, with the c values showing notable differences (p < 0.01). Polysaccharide content tended to increase with higher grades and smaller fruit sizes, ranging from 1.94% to 5.69%. The polysaccharides in different contained monosaccharides of Man, Rha, Ara, Gal, Glc, GalA, GlcA and Xyl, with Ara and Gal being predominant. Identified through ¹H NMR spectra, the peak intensity of Ara increased from lower to higher grades, and the arrangement of the chemical shifts reflected distinct commercial grade characteristics. The inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) against α-amylase and α-glucosidase ranged from 0.418 to 1.345 mg/mL, and 0.474 to 1.052 mg/mL, respectively, indicating good hypoglycemic activity within this range. The main monosaccharide groups Ara, Gal, and GalA were identified as key contributors to enzyme inhibition. Collectively interpreting the phenotypic features, polysaccharide content, monosaccharide composition, NMR data and activity profiles, Ara, Gal and GalA emerge as signature monosaccharide components of LBPs. These results provide novel theoretical insights for L. barbarum quality assessment.

Our study emphasizes the hypoglycemic potential of phenolic compounds extracted and purified from Lycium barbarum L. ( L. barbarum ) fruits. L. barbarum polyphenol extracts were purified using D101 macroporous resin, Sephadex LH‐20 dextran gel, and C18 chromatographic column, with their α ‐amylase/ α ‐glucosidase inhibitory activities assessed across purity grades. The results revealed 78 chemical components in the crude extract (C1), with 34 phenolic compounds identified after purification with macroporous resin (D1), and 25 phenolic compounds detected after further purification with Sephadex LH‐20 gel (S1). Each purification step selectively altered the composition and content of the compounds, with substantial reductions observed in saponins and phenolic acids. Lycibarbarphenylpropanoid I (P1) was identified and characterized as a novel compound. Fraction C1 demonstrated the highest α ‐amylase inhibitory activity, while S1 exhibited the highest α ‐glucosidase inhibition. This suggests that different purification levels can enhance specific bioactivities responsible for hypoglycemic effects. The influence of various components on hypoglycemic enzyme activity varies significantly, suggesting the need for deeper exploration. This study presents critical insights into the phenolic extracts from L. barbarum fruits, and their hypoglycemic activity offers significant understanding of the application of these bioactive compounds.

Lycium barbarum L. bud tea and leaf tea are functional processed products made from L. barbarum buds and leaves with traditional green tea processing techniques. Based on an extensive targeted metabolomics technology, this study systematically analyzed the chemical composition of L. barbarum bud tea and leaf tea, identified their differential compounds, and explored the effects of water-extracted substances on the activities of pancreatic lipase and α-Amylase. The results showed that the contents of total phenols, total flavonoids, and chlorogenic acid in the bud tea were 36.09 ± 1.97 mg/g, 7.44 ± 0.31 mg/g, and 4.18 ± 0.10 mg/g, respectively, 66.25%, 34.78%, and 22.58% higher than those in the leaf tea, respectively. A total of 594 metabolites were identified through the metabolomics analysis, mainly including flavonoids, phenolic acid compounds, alkaloids, amino acids and their derivatives, organic acids, lignans and coumarins, terpenoids, ands steroid compounds. Among them, flavonoids, phenolic acids, alkaloids, and amino acids and their derivatives accounted for approximately 58%. Compared with the leaf tea, the bud tea was significantly enriched with flavonoids, phenolic acid compounds, nucleotide compounds, lignans, and coumarins. Delphinidin 3-O-galactoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside were identified as significantly differential metabolites. Both L. barbarum bud tea and leaf tea exhibited good inhibitory effects on pancreatic lipase and α-Amylase, with the highest inhibition rates being 68.71%, 77.33%, 76.08%, and 69.96%, respectively. The contents of anthocyanins and their derivatives, including delphinidin-3-O-galactoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidin-O-hexoside, delphinidin-O-hexoside, and delphinidin diglucoside, were positively correlated with the activities of the two enzymes. These results underpin functional exploration and quality standardization of L. barbarum bud/leaf tea products.

Goji berry (wolfberry, Lycium), is a genus of Solanaceae, in which the roots, stems, leaves, and fruits are for both food and medicinal uses. In recent years, the demand for health food and research purposes has led to increasing attention being paid to the application of goji berry nutrients and resources. There are three general strategies to process and utilize the goji berry plant. First, the primary processing of goji berry products, such as dried goji berry pulp, and fruit wine with its by‐products. Second, deep processing of sugar–peptides, carotenoids, and the extraction of other efficacy components with their by‐products. Third, the utilization of plant‐based by‐products (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit residuals). However, the comprehensive use of goji berry is hampered by the non‐standardized production technology of resource utilization and the absence of a multi‐level co‐production and processing technology systems. On the basis of this, we review some novel techniques that are made to more effectively use the resources found in goji berry or its by‐products in order to serve as a guide for the thorough use of these resources and the high‐quality growth of the goji berry processing industry.

A series of peri-substituted acenaphthene-based phosphine selenoether bidentate ligands Acenap(iPr₂P)(SeAr) (L1-L4, Acenap = acenaphthene-5,6-diyl, Ar = Ph, mesityl, 2,4,6-trisopropylphenyl and supermesityl) were prepared. The rigid acenaphthene framework induces a forced overlap of the phosphine and selenoether lone pairs, resulting in a large magnitude of through-space ⁴J_PSe coupling, ranging from 452 to 545 Hz. These rigid ligands L1-L4 were used to prepare a series of selected late d-block metals, mercury, and borane complexes, which were characterized, including by multinuclear NMR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The Lewis acidic motifs (BH₃, Mo(CO)₄, Ag⁺, PdCl₂, PtCl₂, and HgCl₂) bridge the two donor atoms (P and Se) in all but one case in the solid-state structures. Where the bridging motif contained NMR-active nuclei (¹¹B, ¹⁰⁷Ag, ¹⁰⁹Ag, ¹⁹⁵Pt, and ¹⁹⁹Hg), J_PM and J_SeM couplings are observed directly, in addition to the altered J_PSe in the respective NMR spectra. The solution NMR data are correlated with single-crystal diffraction data, and in the case of mercury(II) complexes, they are also correlated with the solid-state NMR data and coupling deformation density calculations. The latter indicate that the through-space interaction dominates in free L1, while in the L1HgCl₂ complex, the main coupling pathway is via the metal atom and not through the carbon framework of the acenaphthene ring system.

BACKGROUND: Lycium ruthenicum Murray (LRM), a perennial shrub plant belonging to the Solanaceae family, is rich in anthocyanins, which have anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, lipid‐lowering, intestinal flora regulating, and other pharmacological qualities. This study was primarily aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of different anthocyanin purities from LRM on angiotensin‐I‐converting enzyme (ACE) activity in vitro. Moreover, the inhibitory mechanism was further analyzed by molecular docking technology.RESULTS: Two main anthocyanin isomers were identified by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and proton/carbon‐13 nuclear magnetic resonance, namely petunidin‐3‐O‐[rhamnopyranosyl‐(trans‐p‐coumaroyl)]‐5‐O‐(β‐d‐glucopyranoside) (trans‐Pt3R5G) and petunidin‐3‐O‐[rhamnopyranosyl‐(cis‐p‐coumaroyl)]‐5‐O‐(β‐d‐glucopyranoside) (cis‐Pt3R5G), with a molar ratio of 9:1. Three purification grades of Pt3R5G all showed excellent inhibitory effects on ACE, with the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values being 0.562, 0.421, and 0.106 mg·mL⁻¹. Increasing the purity may reduce the IC₅₀ within a certain concentration range. An enzymatic kinetic experiment showed that the inhibitory effect of Pt3R5G on ACE was reversible and non‐competitive: Pt3R5G and substrate were not in competition for the active sites of ACE. Molecular docking technology further revealed the possible mechanism was that Pt3R5G and ACE amino acid residues were interacting by hydrogen bonds to exert the inhibitory effect.CONCLUSION: The results indicated that Pt3R5G from LRM was highly effective at inhibiting ACE activity in vitro, with the hydrogen bonds of Pt3R5G and ACE amino acid residues exerting the inhibition. As a potential plant‐based ACE inhibitor, Pt3R5G can be used as a functional ingredient for antihypertensive effects. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.