Changes in metabolites in raw and wine processed Corni Fructus combination metabolomics with network analysis focusing on potential hypoglycemic effects

Effects of Different Fermentation and Clarification Methods on the Color, Physicochemical Characteristics, and Aroma Profile of Healthcare Cornus-Kiwifruit Composite Wine

A lack of distinctive features has become a significant factor limiting the development of kiwi wine. However, the rapidly growing trend of healthcare-oriented composite fruit wine with health functions and diverse flavors presents a way to address this issue. A kiwi wine fermentation method was investigated by incorporating the medicinal and edible fruits of Cornus officinalis. The results indicate that adding Cornus officinalis introduced a unique component known as iridoid glycosides to the wine. Additionally, the concentrations of phenols, total iridoid glycosides, and most aroma compounds in the wine increased after the addition of crushed Cornus officinalis following alcoholic fermentation. As the proportion of Cornus officinalis in the kiwi wine rose, so did polyphenolic substances and total iridoid glycosides; however, this diminished the wine's clarity. Additionally, a yeast addition of 200 mg/L demonstrated optimal fermentation capabilities, and a bentonite addition of 1.1 g/L exhibited an outstanding clarifying effect. These results not only enhance nutritional value and quality but also provide a theoretical foundation for the production of high-quality Cornus-kiwifruit composite wine.

Inhibitory effects of cornuside on human liver cytochrome P450 enzymes

Cornuside is an iridoid glycoside isolated from the fruits of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. with antiallergic and hypoglycemic properties. This study aimed to investigate the interaction of cornuside with cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes which may provide a reference for the clinical application of Cornus officinalis. The impact of cornuside on CYP enzyme activity in human liver microsomes (HLMs) was examined in the presence of 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 µM of cornuside. In order to estimate the inhibition properties, Lineweaver-Burk plots were plotted and kinetic parameters were obtained. Furthermore, the time-dependent inhibition of CYP3A4 activity by cornuside was also assessed. The activity of CYP3A4, 2C19, and 2E1 was suppressed by cornuside, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 13.80, 19.44, and 24.55 µM, respectively. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of cornuside was found to be non-competitive (Ki = 7.13 µM) and time-dependent (KI = 7.19 µM, Kinact = 0.042 min-1), whereas the inhibitory effect on CYP2C19 and 2E1 was found to be competitive, with Ki values of 9.92 µM and 12.38 µM, respectively. In vitro studies revealed that cornuside inhibited CYP3A4, 2C19, and 2E1. This indicates the possibility of drug-drug interaction between cornuside and drugs that are metabolized by these CYP enzymes when co-administered. These findings may provide a theoretical basis for clinical prescribing, particularly in the context of co-administration.

Revealing the effects and mechanism of wine processing on Corni Fructus using chemical characterization integrated with multi-dimensional analyses

Corni fructus (CF) is always subjected to wine processing before prescription in clinic, for an enhancing effect of nourishing liver and kidney. While, the underlying mechanism for this processing on CF remains obscure. In this study, a sensitive ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method combined multi-dimensional analyses was established to monitor chemical characterizations of raw and wine-processed CF (WCF) and hence reveal the effects and underlying mechanism of wine processing on CF. As indicated, a total of 216 compounds were tentatively identified, including 98 structurally complex and variable home/hetero-polymers, that were composed of iridoid glucosides, gallic acids, caffeic acid and/or 5-HMF. Interestingly, 53 of these compounds probably characterized potential novel, including 35 iridoid glucosides or their dimers, 9 iridoid glucoside-gallic acid dimers, 7 gallic acids derivatives and 2 gallic acid-caffeic acid dimers, which provides ideas for natural product researchers. Meanwhile, the multi-dimensional analyses including principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and linear regression analysis were used to explore the differences between CF and WCF. The results showed that 23 compounds as chemical markers greatly contributing to the distinction were screened out, and 3 of which (7α/β-O-ethyl-morroniside, gallic acid and 5-HMF) in WCF indicated an increasing trend in intensities in relative to those in CF. Additionally, linear regression analysis showed that in WCF 53 compounds exhibited an increasing in intensities, while 132 ones did a decreasing trend, compared with those in CF. As our investigation demonstrated, acetal reaction of morroniside, ester hydrolysis in different organic acid derivatives as well as glycoside bond cleavage during wine processing probably resulted in the distinctions. The findings of this study provide a further understanding of the effect and mechanism of wine processing on CF.