Comprehensive Review of Phytochemical Constituents, Pharmacological Properties, and Clinical Applications of Prunus mume

Rapid determination of total flavonoid content, xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities, and antioxidant activity in Prunus mume by near-infrared spectroscopy

Evaluating the quality of herbal medicine based on the content and activity of its main components is highly beneficial. Developing an eco-friendly determination method has significant application potential. In this study, we propose a new method to simultaneously predict the total flavonoid content (TFC), xanthine oxidase inhibitory (XO) activity, and antioxidant activity (AA) of Prunus mume using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR). Using the sodium nitrite-aluminum nitrate-sodium hydroxide colorimetric method, uric acid colorimetric method, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity as reference methods, we analyzed TFC, XO, and AA in 90 P. mume samples collected from different locations in China. The solid samples were subjected to NIR. By employing spectral preprocessing and optimizing spectral bands, we established a rapid prediction model for TFC, XO, and AA using partial least squares regression (PLS). To improve the model's performance and eliminate irrelevant variables, competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) was used to calculate the pretreated full spectrum. Evaluation model indicators included the root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) and determination coefficient (R2) values. The TFC, XO, and AA model, combining optimal spectral preprocessing and spectral bands, had RMSECV values of 0.139, 0.117, and 0.121, with RCV2 values exceeding 0.92. The root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) for the TFC, XO, and AA model on the prediction set was 0.301, 0.213, and 0.149, with determination coefficient (RP2) values of 0.915, 0.933, and 0.926. The results showed a strong correlation between NIR with TFC, XO, and AA in P. mume. Therefore, the established model was effective, suitable for the rapid quantification of TFC, XO, and AA. The prediction method is simple and rapid, and can be extended to the study of medicinal plant content and activity.

A View on the Chemical and Biological Attributes of Five Edible Fruits after Finishing Their Shelf Life: Studies on Caco-2 Cells

We studied five common perishable fruits in terms of their polyphenols dynamic, minerals distribution, scavenger activity and the effects of 50% ethanolic extracts on the viability of Caco-2 cells in vitro, over a period of time between T = 0 and T = 5/7 days, typically the end of their shelf life. Altogether, there were few changes found, consisting of either an increase or a decrease in their chemical and biological attributes. A slow decrease was found in the antioxidant activity in apricot (-11%), plum (-6%) and strawberry (-4%) extracts, while cherry and green seedless table grape extracts gained 7% and 2% antioxidant potency, respectively; IC50 values ranged from 1.67 to 5.93 μg GAE/μL test extract. The cytotoxicity MTS assay at 24 h revealed the ability of all 50% ethanol fruit extracts to inhibit the Caco-2 cell viability; the inhibitory effects ranged from 49% to 83% and were measured at 28 µg GAE for strawberry extracts/EES, from 22 µg to 45 µg GAE for cherry extracts/EEC, from 7.58 to 15.16 µg GAE for apricot extracts/EEA, from 12.50 to 25.70 µg GAE for plum extracts/EEP and from 21.51 to 28.68 µg GAE for green table grape extracts/EEG. The MTS anti-proliferative assay (72 h) also revealed a stimulatory potency upon the Caco-2 viability, from 34% (EEA, EEG) and 48% (EEC) to 350% (EES) and 690% (EEP); therefore fruit juices can influence intestinal tumorigenesis in humans.

Quality Evaluation and Browning Control in the Multi-Stage Processing of Mume Fructus (Wumei)

The dried Mume Fructus (MF), called Wumei in China, is a unique food with medicinal and edible effects. But its actual production method is outdated with low efficiency and inconsistent quality. This study systematically investigated the influence of moisture content (MC), temperature, and relative humidity (RH) on the browning reaction and quality characteristics of the MF and proposed a continuous processing strategy of the three-stage variable process for MF production based on the precise process control of the temperature and the RH. The production process of MF was divided into three stages: preliminary dehydration, browning, and drying. The results showed that the browning reaction rate and drying efficiency were optimal when the MC of the raw materials was reduced to 50%. In the browning stage, the degree of browning was better, and the antioxidant capacity reached the maximum of 64.38 mg/g DM under a processing temperature of 80 °C and an RH of more than 60%. As the RH increased, the drying rate decreased, and the ash content exhibited an increase. Therefore, the optimal processing parameters for the browning stage were determined to be a temperature of 80 °C and an RH of 60%. In the final drying stage, a temperature of 60 °C coupled with a dehumidification mode proved sufficient to ensure efficient drying without compromising the quality of the MF. This study revealed the reaction mechanism of the rapid browning processing of MF, which has important guiding significance for the rapid processing of browning foods.

Integrative transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses reveal the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis of Prunus mume

Prunus mume is an important medicinal plant with ornamental and edible value. Its flowers contain phenylpropanoids, flavonoids and other active components, that have important medicinal and edible value, yet their molecular regulatory mechanisms in P. mume remain unclear. In this study, the content of total flavonoid and total phenylpropanoid of P. mume at different developmental periods was measured first, and the results showed that the content of total flavonoid and total phenylpropanoid gradually decreased in three developmental periods. Then, an integrated analysis of transcriptome and metabolome was conducted on three developmental periods of P. mume to investigate the law of synthetic accumulation for P. mume metabolites, and the key enzyme genes for the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids and flavonoids were screened out according to the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A total of 14,332 DEGs and 38 differentially accumulate metabolites (DAMs) were obtained by transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis. The key enzyme genes and metabolites in the bud (HL) were significantly different from those in the half-opening (BK) and full-opening (QK) periods. In the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, the ion abundance of chlorogenic acid, naringenin, kaempferol, isoquercitrin, rutin and other metabolites decreased with the development of flowers, while the ion abundance of cinnamic acid increased. Key enzyme genes such as HCT, CCR, COMT, CHS, F3H, and FLS positively regulate the downstream metabolites, while PAL, C4H, and 4CL negatively regulate the downstream metabolites. Moreover, the key genes FLS (CL4312-2, CL4312-3, CL4312-4, CL4312-5, CL4312-6) regulating the synthesis of flavonols are highly expressed in bud samples. The dynamic changes of these metabolites were validated by determining the content of 14 phenylpropanoids and flavonoids in P. mume at different developmental periods, and the transcription expression levels of these genes were validated by real-time PCR. Our study provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of phenylpropanoid and flavonoid accumulation in P. mume.

Research on hyperspectral regression method of soluble solids in green plum based on one-dimensional deep convolution network

Soluble solids content is an important evaluation index affecting the quality of greengage fruit. The SSC content of green plum determines the picking time of green plum and what products are finally made into the market, such as preserves or fruit wine. The traditional destructive experiment is not conducive to the subsequent processing of green plum, and the efficiency is low and the labor cost is high. In this paper, hyperspectral images of green plums are analyzed based on the DenseNet network model, and a sugar content prediction model for green plums is established. After experimental collection and screening, 366 samples were obtained for the prediction of sugar content. According to the ratio of 3:1, 274 samples were obtained for the training set and 92 samples for the test set. In the prediction of sugar content, compared with the PLSR and MobileNetV2 model, the Rp of the 1D-DenseNet121 model in this experiment increased by 8.95%, and 6.27% respectively. and the MAEp was reduced by 15.44% and 10.35% respectively. The 1D-DenseNet121 model had a faster iterative convergence rate than the MobileNetV2 model, showing better prediction performance, which is more in line with the actual demand for green plum sorting, effectively improving the low efficiency of traditional physical and chemical detection.

Exploring the potential of ume-derived proanthocyanidins: novel applications for blueberry preservation

Proanthocyanidins (PCs) extracted from ume have many well-known functional properties. The aim of this study was to explore a novel natural food preservative using ume plum pulp proanthocyanidins (UPPP). The crude product of PCs from ume plum was obtained by using ethanol as extraction solvent and ultrasonic-assisted extraction, and then the pure product of UPPP was obtained by purification with AB-8 resin. The bacteriostatic ability of UPPP and the freshness preservation effect on blueberry were analyzed. The results showed that UPPP had a high inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus (MIC of 1.563 mg/mL) and Escherichia coli (MIC of 3.125 mg/mL). Findings revealed that, in comparison to 0.02% potassium sorbate, blueberries treated with a high concentration of UPPP in a dipping treatment displayed superior quality maintenance after 7 days of storage at 4°C. Importantly, analysis of the various metrics showed that treatment with UPPP was significantly better compared to blueberries treated with 0.02% potassium sorbate. For example, the decay rate, weight loss, and total number of colonies of blueberries treated with 0.02% potassium sorbate were 55.56, 3.48%, and 4.24 ± 0.07 log CFU/mL, whereas the values of the above indexes for blueberries treated with 25 mg/mL of UPPP were 22.22, 3.09%, and 3.10 ± 0.17 log CFU/mL, respectively. Conversely, blueberries that were not dipped in any preservative displayed signs of deterioration as early as the 3rd day of the storage period, highlighting the potential of UPPP as a valuable method for preserving fruits and vegetables. Therefore, UPPP holds great promise as an innovative natural food preservative, effectively enhancing food safety, quality, and extending shelf-life.

TCM "medicine and food homology" in the management of post-COVID disorders

Background

The World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency of global concern on May 5, 2023. Post-COVID disorders are, however, becoming more common. Hence, there lies a growing need to develop safe and effective treatment measures to manage post-COVID disorders. Investigating the use of TCM medicinal foods in the long-term therapy of post-COVID illnesses may be beneficial given contemporary research's emphasis on the development of medicinal foods.

Scope and approach

The use of medicinal foods for the long-term treatment of post-COVID disorders is highlighted in this review. Following a discussion of the history of the TCM "Medicine and Food Homology" theory, the pathophysiological effects of post-COVID disorders will be briefly reviewed. An analysis of TCM medicinal foods and their functions in treating post-COVID disorders will then be provided before offering some insight into potential directions for future research and application.

Key findings and discussion

TCM medicinal foods can manage different aspects of post-COVID disorders. The use of medicinal foods in the long-term management of post-COVID illnesses may be a safe and efficient therapy choice because they are typically milder in nature than chronic drug use. These findings may also be applied in the long-term post-disease treatment of similar respiratory disorders.

Flavor Profile Evaluation of Soaked Greengage Wine with Different Base Liquor Treatments Using Principal Component Analysis and Heatmap Analysis

The selection of base liquor plays a crucial role in the flavor of soaked greengage wine. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different base liquor treatments on the physicochemical characteristics and aroma composition of greengage wine. We carried out a comprehensive analysis using HPLC for the determination of organic acids and GC-MS for the determination of volatile aroma compounds, combined with sensory evaluation. The results showed that the red and yellow colors were the darkest in the high-alcohol group, while the citric acid content was the highest in the sake group (21.95 ± 2.19 g/L). In addition, the greengage wine steeped in 50% edible alcohol had more terpenes, a significantly higher concentration of acid-lipid compounds, and a more intense aroma compared to that of the low-alcohol group, whose typical aroma compounds were greatly reduced. The sensory results showed that the greengage wine treated with baijiu had a distinct alcoholic flavor, while almond flavors were more intense in the greengage wine treated with 15% edible alcohol. In this study, base liquor was used as the main influencing factor to provide new research ideas for the flavor optimization of soaked greengage wine.

Polyphenols from Prunus mume: extraction, purification, and anticancer activity

Prunus mume is an ancient medicinal herb and food that are commonly used in Asian countries with high nutritional ingredients and biological activities. Polyphenols are important functional components in Prunus mume. To obtain a more efficient extraction process of Prunus mume polyphenols, a single-factor test and response surface method were used. After extraction and purification, the final polyphenol content of Prunus mume (L¹) was up to 90%. Biological experiments showed that L¹ had high anticancer activity against HeLa (125.28 μg mL^-1), HepG2 (117.24 μg mL^-1), MCF-7 (170.19 μg mL^-1), and A549 (121.78 μg mL^-1) in vitro by MTT assay. The combination of DDP and DOX significantly enhanced the anticancer activity of the four cell lines, especially L¹-DOX had the smallest IC₅₀ value of 0.04 μg mL^-1 against HepG2 cells, indicating the combination of drugs had synergistic effects. It is further demonstrated that L¹ could inhibit cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis with ROS detection and confocal fluorescence images. The relative tumor proliferation rate (T/C) was 40.6%, and the tumor inhibition rate was 57.9%, indicating L¹ to have no significant toxicity but high anti-HepG2 activity in vivo. Although the study is very limited, it is anticipated to provide a reference for further exploration of the functionality of the plant.

Evaluation of Dynamic Changes and Regularity of Volatile Flavor Compounds for Different Green Plum (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc) Varieties during the Ripening Process by HS-GC-IMS with PLS-DA

Headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry and partial-least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were adopted to analyze the rule of change in flavor substances for different varieties of green plums at different levels of maturity (S1-immature, S2-commercially mature, and S3-fully mature). The results showed that 68 kinds of volatile flavor substances were identified in all green plum samples. The types and contents of such volatile substances experienced a V-shaped trend with an increasing degree of green plum maturity. During the S1 and S2 stages, aldehydes, ketones, and a small amount of alcohols were the main volatile flavor substances in the green plum samples. During the S3 stage, esters and alcohols were the most important volatile flavor components in the green plum pulp samples, followed by terpenes and ketones. YS had the most types and highest contents of volatile flavor substances in three stages, followed by GC and DZ. By using the PLS-DA method, this study revealed the differences in flavor of the different varieties of green plums at different maturity stages, and it identified eight common characteristic volatile flavor substances, such as ethyl acetate, 3-methylbutan-1-ol, and 2-propanone, produced by the different green plum samples during the ripening process, as well as the characteristic flavor substances of green plums at each maturity stage (S1-S3).

Vascular Relaxation and Blood Pressure Lowering Effects of Prunus mume in Rats

Prunus mume Siebold et Zuccarini is mainly consumed as processed fruits in beverages, vinegar, alcohol, or fruit syrup; studies have reported various functional effects. Many pharmacological and functional studies exist on fruit extracts or processed foods using fruits, however, efficacy studies on various parts of P. mume, including the bark, branches, flowers, and leaves, have not been sufficiently conducted. A previous study revealed that a 70% ethanol extract of P. mume branches induced vascular endothelium-dependent vasorelaxant effects in rat thoracic aortic rings. Therefore, we hypothesized that various parts (the fruits, flowers, leaves, and bark) might have vasorelaxant effects. We evaluated the effects of P. mume extracts on the vascular relaxation of isolated rat thoracic aorta and hypotensive effects in spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR). A 70% ethanol extract of P. mume bark (PBaE) was the most effective, thus, we investigated its vasorelaxant mechanisms and hypotensive effects. PBaE lowered the blood pressure in SHR and induced the vascular endothelium-dependent relaxation of isolated rat aortic rings via the NO/sGC/cGMP and the PGI₂ pathways in the vascular smooth muscle. Potassium channels, such as K_Ca, K_ATP, K_V, and K_ir, were partially associated with a PBaE-induced vasorelaxation. Therefore, PBaE might help prevent and treat hypertension.

Chemical composition-based characterization of the anti-allergic effect of Guominkang Formula on IgE-mediated mast cells activation and passive cutaneous anaphylaxis

Guominkang (GMK), a Chinese medicine formula, has been used to treat allergic diseases in clinical settings for many years. To evaluate the antiallergic effect and molecular mechanism of action of GMK extract, RBL-2H3 cell models and passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) mouse models were established. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) analyses were performed to characterize the chemical composition of GMK. A total of 94 compounds were identified or tentatively identified from GMK. Three of them, emodin, ursolic acid, and hamaudol, were identified for the first time as potential active compounds in GMK, since they inhibited the degranulation of mast cells. The anti-allergic effect of hamaudol was the first to be discovered. GMK could markedly mitigate the shade of Evans Blue extravasation and ear incrassation in PCA mouse models. Additionally, GMK significantly inhibited the degranulation of mast cells, suppressed mast cell degranulation by reducing Ca²⁺ influx and the levels of TNF-α, IL-4, and histamine, and markedly inhibited the phosphorylation of Lyn, Syk, PLCγ1, IκBα, and NF-κB p65. Molecular docking results indicated that hamaudol and emodin had strong interaction with FcɛRI and NF-κB related proteins, while ursolic acid only interacted with NF-κB associated proteins. These results suggest GMK suppresses the activation of MCs both in vivo and in vitro. The underlying mechanism of its anti-allergic activity is associated with the inhibition of FcɛRI and NF-κB activation.

Influence of ripening stage and meteorological parameters on the accumulation pattern of polyphenols in greengages (Prunus mume Sieb. Et Zucc) by widely targeted metabolomic

Greengage is a Chinese traditional medicine food homology plant that contains abundant polyphenols. Greengages with different levels of maturity have different medicinal functions and applications. Therefore, this study comprehensively analysed the phenolic compounds in greengage of whole mature stage. Notably, the influence of climate conditions on greengage polyphenol synthesis was deeply explored. The polyphenols of greengages were profiled based on the widely targeted metabolomic technology using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTRAP-MS/MS). A total of 214 polyphenols were detected, covering 11 subclasses. During the ripening of greengages, these polyphenols first increased and then decreased, peaking during the swell stage. Multivariate statistical methods, including redundancy analysis (RDA), random forest analysis, Mantel test, and Spearman's correlation indicated that temperature, sunshine hours, humidity, and radiation were important factors driving the formation and changes in the polyphenols of greengages. In particular, flavanones and flavonols, showed a structure-dependent response to temperature and radiation.

Comparative Investigation of the Differences in Chemical Compounds between Raw and Processed Mume Fructus Using Plant Metabolomics Combined with Chemometrics Methods

Mume Fructus is a well-known herbal medicine and food with a long history of processing and application. Different processing methods impact the intrinsic quality of Mume Fructus. Thus, it is of great significance to investigate the changes in chemical components during processing (i.e., raw compared to the pulp and charcoal forms). In this study, plant metabolomics methods based on mass spectrometry detection were established to analyze the chemical ingredients of Mume Fructus comprehensively. Chemometric strategies were combined to analyze the profile differences of Mume Fructus after different processing methods. The established strategy identified 98 volatile and 89 non-volatile compounds of Mume Fructus by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS), respectively. Moreover, the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) indicated that raw Mume Fructus and the Mume Fructus pulp and charcoal were distributed in three regions. Subsequently, 19 volatile and 16 non-volatile components were selected as potential chemical component markers with variable importance in the projection using (VIP) >1 as the criterion, and the accuracy was verified by a Back Propagation Neural Network (BP-NN). To further understand the difference in the content of Mume Fructus before and after processing, 16 non-volatile chemical component markers were quantitatively determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The results revealed that, compared with raw Mume Fructus, the total content of 16 components in the pulp of Mume Fructus increased while it decreased in the charcoal. Therefore, this study used GC-MS, UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and UHPLC-MS/MS modern technology to analyze the differences in chemical components before and after the processing of Mume Fructus and provided a material basis for further research on the quality evaluation and efficacy of Mume Fructus.

A Review with Updated Perspectives on Nutritional and Therapeutic Benefits of Apricot and the Industrial Application of Its Underutilized Parts

Fruits maintain the image as the richest sources of vitamins. Focusing on apricots, utilization of apricot species for many applications is possible due to its various benefits. Many research studies demonstrated different perspectives of apricot, especially in medical used as it can act as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial agents. Moreover, in the industrial sectors, apricots can be used in the production of biofuels and batteries. All components of the apricot fruit, including seeds and kernels have been found to possess significant interest. This review is to breach the knowledge gap regarding the key nutrients and chemicals of apricot fruit, contributing to its health-promoting properties to emphasize the noble importance of this fruit in the diet and in the management of several diseases. We also cover the application of apricots in the industry that could be developed as a promising and sustainable source.