Structural Characterization and Anti-inflammatory Activity of a Galactorhamnan Polysaccharide From Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis

Rhodiola crenulata polysaccharide alleviates dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis in mice by repairing the intestinal barrier and regulating the intestinal microecology

Polysaccharides, vital biological macromolecules ubiquitous in organisms, have garnered attention as potential therapeutic candidates for ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the therapeutic potential of Rhodiola crenulata polysaccharides (RCP) in UC remains largely unexplored. The RCP was prepared by boiling water extraction, 80% alcohol precipitation, membrane separation, and D101 macroporous resin purification. The monosaccharide composition of RCP (Mw = 67.848 kDa) includes mannose, rhamnose, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, and arabinose, with a molar ratio of 0.22:1:0.07:7.03:2.88:0.64:4.12. In vivo experiments have shown that RCP can improve DSS induced weight loss in UC mice, decrease disease activity index (DAI), alleviate histopathological changes in colon tissue, and suppress the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and MPO activity. Immunohistochemical results showed that essential tight junction proteins such as occludin, claudin1, and ZO-1 were upregulated, improving the integrity of the intestinal barrier. Importantly, RCP regulated the abundance of the intestinal microbiota by reducing the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio (F/B), increasing beneficial bacteria such as Muribaculaceae and Bifidobacterium, decreasing harmful bacteria including Erysipelotrichaceae, Faecalibaculum, Lachnospiraceae_unclassified, Parabacteroides, and Ruminiclostridium_9. Additionally, it enhanced the restoration of acetic acid, propionic acid, isovaleric acid, and valeric acid to maintain intestinal SCFA levels, thereby restoring the intestinal microecology. Therefore, RCP has excellent therapeutic effects on UC and is worthy of further drug development and clinical treatment.

Quantitative Analysis of Flavonoids and Coumarins from Fingered Citron in Different Growth Periods and Their Regulatory Effects on Oxidative Stress

Twenty-two coumarins and twenty-six flavonoids were quantitated in fingered citron in different growth periods. Limettin was the top coumarin, and diosmin was the highest flavonoid, followed by hesperidin. Antioxidant evaluation by DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP indicated extracts of fingered citron in three growth periods all showed good antioxidant activity, which was positively correlated with the concentration of extracts. The oxidative stress model of RAW264.7 cells indicated extracts from fingered citron effectively reduced the contents of NO, MDA, and ROS in cells and increased the activity of SOD, thereby alleviating cell damage. The antioxidant capacity of fingered citron in November was the highest, followed by July and September. And there was a significantly positive correlation between the total flavonoid content and the antioxidant capacity. Diosmin, hesperidin, and neohesperidin were the main contributors to antioxidation. This study has significance for utilization of fingered citron germplasm resources and development of related functional products.

Review of polysaccharides from Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis. (Fingered citron): Their extraction, purification, structural characteristics, bioactivity and potential applications

Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis. (Fingered citron), commonly known as Buddha's hand, is a revered member of the Citrus genus belonging to the Rutaceae family with a long history in China. Fingered citron is known for its multifaceted utility as traditional herbal medicine, functional food and ornamental plant. Fingered citron polysaccharides (FCPs) are the key bioactive components of Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis, garnering global attention for their potential medicinal and culinary benefits. Various extraction methods like solvent extraction, ultrasound or microwave-assisted extraction have been used to obtain FCPs. Nonetheless, the structural characteristics of FCPs remain incompletely understood, necessitating further research and elucidation of the potential structure-activity relationship via the combined use of various advanced analytical techniques. Furthermore, FCPs exhibit diverse bioactivities, such as antioxidant activity, immunomodulatory effect, anti-inflammatory effect and gut microbiota regulatory activity, among others, positioning them as viable candidates for the therapeutic and health-promoting applications. Consequently, this review seeks to offer a comprehensive overview of FCPs, covering their extraction, purification, structural features, biological activities, and potential applications, underscoring the significant promise of FCPs as valuable natural compounds with multiple bioactive properties, advocating for their expanded utilization and integration into industry and therapeutics.

Coumarins from Jinhua Finger Citron: Separation by Liquid-Liquid Chromatography and Potential Antitumor Activity

In this paper, liquid-liquid chromatography was introduced for the first time for the separation of fingered citron (Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis Swingle). The fingered citron cultivated in Jinhua is of significant industrial and medicinal value, with several major coumarin compounds detected in its extract. Therefore, further separation for higher purity was of necessity. A preparative liquid-liquid chromatographic method was developed by combining two elution modes (isocratic and step-gradient) with selection according to different polarities of the target sample. Five coumarin derivatives-5,7-dimethoxycoumarin (52.6 mg, 99.6%), phellopterin (4.9 mg, 97.1%), 5-prenyloxy-7-methoxycoumarin (6.7 mg, 98.7%), 6-hydroxy-7-methoxycoumarin (7.1 mg, 82.2%), and byakangelicol (10.5 mg, 90.1%)-with similar structures and properties were isolated on a large scale from 100 mg of petroleum ether (PE) extract and 100 mg of ethyl acetate (EA) extract in Jinhua fingered citron. The productivity was much improved. The anti-growth activity of the isolated coumarins was evaluated against three cancer cell lines (HeLa, A549, and MCF7) with an MTT assay. The coumarins demonstrated potential anti-tumor activity on the HeLa cell line, with 5,7-dimethoxycoumarin in particular exhibiting the best anti-growth activity (IC50 = 10.57 ± 0.24 μM) by inhibiting proliferation. It inhibited colony formation and reduced the size of the tumor sphere in a concentration-dependent manner. The main mechanism was confirmed as inducing apoptosis. This work was informative for further studies aimed at exploring new natural-product-based antitumor agents.

A Novel Polysaccharide Separated from Panax Notoginseng Residue Ameliorates Restraint Stress- and Lipopolysaccharide-induced Enteritis in Mice

Polysaccharides are rich in Panax notoginseng residue after extraction. This study aims to explore the structural characteristics of PNP-20, which is a homogeneous polysaccharide, separated from P. notoginseng residue by fractional precipitation and evaluate the anti-enteritis effect of PNP-20. The structure of PNP-20 was determined by spectroscopic analyses. A mouse model with enteritis induced by restraint stress (RS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to evaluate the pharmacological effect of PNP-20. The results indicated that PNP-20 consisted of glucose (Glc), galactose (Gal), Mannose (Man) and Rhamnose (Rha). PNP-20 was composed of Glcp-(1→, →4)-α-Glcp-(1→, →4)-α-Galp-(1→, →4,6)-α-Glcp-(1→, →4)-Manp-(1→ and →3)-Rhap-(1→, and contained two backbone fragments of →4)-α-Glcp-(1→4)- α-Glcp-(1→ and →4)-α-Galp-(1→4)-α-Glcp-(1→. PNP-20 reduced intestinal injury and inflammatory cell infiltration in RS- and LPS-induced enteritis in mice. PNP-20 decreased the expression of intestinal tumor necrosis factor-α, NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3, and nuclear factor-κB and increased the expression of intestinal superoxide dismutase 2. In conclusion, PNP-20 may be a promising material basis of P. Notoginseng for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

An Insight into Citrus medica Linn.: A Systematic Review on Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activities

Plant species are a reservoir of natural compounds that can potentially be used to treat different diseases. Citrus medica Linn. belonging to the Rutaceae family, has been used for centuries in medicine for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antihyperglycemic properties. These activities are ascribable not only to the presence of health-promoting macronutrients and micronutrients, such as carbohydrates, minerals, amino acids, and vitamins, but also to specialized metabolites, such as flavonoids (apigenin, hesperetin, hesperidin, naringin, naringenin, rutin, quercetin, and diosmin), coumarins (citropten, scoparone, and bergapten), terpenes (limonene, γ-terpinene, limonin, and nomilin), and phenolic acids (p-coumaric acid, trans-ferulic acid, and chlorogenic acid). In recent years, particular attention has been focused on the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial activity, antidiabetic, anticancer, and neuroprotective activity of C. medica. However, although many studies have reported this species' chemical and biological properties, the literature has never been analyzed via a systematic approach. For this reason, using PubMed and Scopus as databases, we performed a systematic review of C. medica's chemical composition and biological properties to inspire new research approaches and increase its curative application.

Chromatographic-Based Platforms as New Avenues for Scientific Progress and Sustainability

Chromatography was born approximately one century ago and has undergone outstanding technological improvements in innovation, research, and development since then that has made it fundamental to advances in knowledge at different levels, with a relevant impact on the well-being and health of individuals. Chromatography boosted a comprehensive and deeper understanding of the complexity and diversity of human-environment interactions and systems, how these interactions affect our life, and the several societal challenges we are currently facing, namely those related to the sustainability of our planet and the future generations. From the life sciences, which allowed us to identify endogenous metabolites relevant to disease mechanisms, to the OMICS field, nanotechnology, clinical and forensic analysis, drug discovery, environment, and "foodprint", among others, the wide range of applications of today's chromatographic techniques is impressive. This is fueled by a great variability of powerful chromatographic instruments currently available, with very high sensitivity, resolution, and identification capacity, that provide a strong basis for an analytical platform able to support the challenging demands of the postgenomic and post COVID-19 eras. Within this context, this review aims to address the great utility of chromatography in helping to cope with several societal-based challenges, such as the characterization of disease and/or physiological status, and the response to current agri-food industry challenges of food safety and sustainability, or the monitoring of environmental contamination. These are increasingly important challenges considering the climate changes, the tons of food waste produced every day, and the exponential growth of the human population. In this context, the principles governing the separation mechanisms in chromatography as well the different types and chromatographic techniques will be described. In addition, the major achievements and the most important technological advances will be also highlighted. Finally, a set of studies was selected in order to evince the importance of different chromatographic analyses to understand processes or create fundamental information in the response to current societal challenges.