Analysis of Chemical Constituents of Chrysanthemum morifolium Extract and Its Effect on Postprandial Lipid Metabolism in Healthy Adults

Review of polysaccharides from Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.: Extraction, purification, structural characteristics, health benefits, structural-activity relationships and applications

Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. (C. morifolium), as a traditional ornamental plant, it has multiple values, including edible, economic, nutritional and even medicinal values, which is used as herbal medicine and a new food resource in the world. Polysaccharides are one of the main bioactive components in C. morifolium, which have various health benefits such as improving functional constipation, improving colitis, anti-glycosylation, antioxidant, anti-angiogenesis, immunomodulation, prebiotic, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. This paper describes the extraction, purification, structural characteristics, health benefits, structural-activity relationships, applications, and analyses the shortcomings of the major relevant studies exist on C. morifolium polysaccharides. In addition, the potential mechanisms of the health benefits of C. morifolium polysaccharides were summarized. This study can provide reference and direction for further research and development of C. morifolium polysaccharides.

Evaluation of Five Chrysanthemum morifolium Cultivars against Leaf Blight Disease Caused by Alternaria alternata at Rooting and Seedling Growth Stages

During the winter of 2018, leaf blight on florist's daisy (Chrysanthemum morifolium L.) was noticed in Egypt. The disease, which was identified as caused by Alternaria alternata, was widely spread and led to serious damage for the exportation sector of this crop. Therefore, a study was conducted to better understand what can be conducted to minimize the problem in the future. Isolates were gathered and evaluated on five chrysanthemum cultivars (i.e., 'Feeling Green Dark', 'Talitha', 'Chrystal Regan', 'Arctic queen', and 'Podolsk Purple') grown in a greenhouse. The objectives were to isolate and identify the phytopathogen and detect the resistant degree of these cultivars with emphasis on the early growth stages of the crop. The results showed that 'Podolsk Purple' was the most resistant cultivar against the different isolates during the rooting and seedling growth stages. 'Chrystal Regan' was very susceptible to the different isolates. In addition, the isolate from 'Feeling Green Dark' was the strongest, which negatively affected the chlorophyll content and its fluorescence parameters besides other measured vegetative and anatomical features. The findings indicated that the best anatomical characters of the stem and leaf, like the thickness of cuticle and cortex, stem diameter, xylem vessel diameter, and thickness of epidermis as well as lamina thickness were recorded in the 'Podolsk Purple' cultivar. This study highlighted that by using the right cultivars, chrysanthemum can be cultivated during the winter season under Egyptian conditions. These results can be a part of solution to overcome the leaf blight caused by A. alternata on chrysanthemum during the early growing stages.

A Systematic Review of In Vivo Studies of the Efficacy of Herbal Medicines for Anti-Aging in the Last Five Years

Background: The world’s population is rapidly aging, and attention to and research on the increase in life expectancy and age-related diseases are needed. This study aimed to review the in vivo studies on the anti-aging effects of herbal medicines. Methods: In vivo studies of single or complex herbal medicines for anti-aging that were published in the last five years were included in this review. The following databases were used: PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science and EMBASE. Results: A total of 41 studies were considered eligible for the review. The articles were classified into body organs and functions, experimental country, herbal medicine, extraction method, administration route, dosage, duration, animal model, aging-induced method, sex, number of animals per group, and outcomes and mechanisms A single herbal extract was used in a total of 21 studies including Alpinia oxyphylla Miq., Acanthopanax senticosus and Lyceum barbarum, and a multi-compound herbal prescription was used in a total of 20 studies, including Modified Qiongyu paste, Wuzi Yanzong recipe, etc. Each herbal medicine had anti-aging effects on learning and memory, cognition, emotion, internal organs, gastrointestinal tracts, sexual functions, musculoskeletal function and so on. The common mechanisms of action were antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and various effects and mechanisms for each organ and function were identified. Conclusions: Herbal medicine exhibited beneficial effects on anti-aging in various parts of the body and its function. Further investigation of the appropriate herbal medicine prescriptions and their components is recommended.