The fruit of mume, Japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.), was evaluated for its phenolics content, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) profile and antioxidative activities. The phenolics content of mume fruit was relatively high, the flesh of fully matured fruit containing up to 1% of phenolics on a dry weight basis. Reflecting such a high content of phenolics, the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) value for mume fruit flesh showed high values, ranging from 150 to 320 µmol/g Trolox equivalent, depending upon the stage of maturation. 5-O-Caffeoylqunic acid (chlorogenic acid), 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid and tetra-O-acylated sucrose-related compounds were isolated from the flesh of mume fruit, although many unknown peaks were also apparent in the HPLC chromatogram. An alkali hydrolysate comprised four main phenolic acids, caffeic acid, cis/trans-p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid. No flavonoids were observed in the analysis. These results suggest that the majority of phenolics in mume fruit were hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives.
Umesu phenolics were obtained from the salt extracts of Japanese apricot (Nanko-mume cultivar of Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) as purified phenolics.The antiviral activities of umesu phenolics obtained were then examined against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2), enveloped DNA viruses. The phenolics inhibited the multiplication of these viruses when added to the culture media of the infected cells. This inhibition occurred at phenolic concentrations at which they showed no severe cytotoxicity. One-step growth experiments showed that the eclipse period in the HSV-1 multiplication process was extended in the presence of umesu phenolics and that the addition of phenolics after the completion of viral DNA replication did not affect their multiplication. More drastic effects were observed on virucidal activities against HSV-1 and HSV-2; the infectivity decreased to 0.0001 when infected cells were incubated with 3 mg/ml phenolics at 30°C for 5 min. These results demonstrate the antiviral and virucidal activities of umesu phenolics and suggest a potential pharmacological use for these phenolics as a sanitizing or preventive medicine against superficial HSV infections. K E Y W O R D S antiviral, herpes simplex virus, phenolics, Prunus mume
A methanolic solution of trans-p-coumaric acid was exposed to ultraviolet radiation and a mixture solution of the trans and cis isomers was subjected to cellulose column chromatography, eluting with an aqueous 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid solution containing methanol (90:10, v/v). Separation of the trans and cis isomers was achieved. The identity of the cis isomer was confirmed by TLC, HPLC, and NMR. Since both the support and eluent are inexpensive, the cis isomers can be obtained economically on both the laboratory and industrial scales.
Mume fruit, Japanese apricots (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.), have traditionally been used for pickles, juice, and liqueur in Japan. During the pickling of mume fruit, an exudate fluid from the fruit called umesu (or umezu) is produced as a byproduct. We developed laboratory-scale and factoryscale methods using synthetic absorbents HP-20 column chromatography to prepare phenolic fractions from umesu (umesu phenolics or umezu phenolics, hereafter referred to as UPs). In this study, we obtained six batches of UPs using a factor y-scale method, and their chemical features were examined. The phenolic contents were 13.1±0.8% and 19.2±2.1%, respectively, with gallic acid and p-coumaric acid as standards. The total sugar content was 57.7±4.7%. Very close similarity was observed in the high-performance liquid chromatograms and compositions of the phenolics in the six batches of UPs. The four major phenolic compounds found in the alkaline hydrolysate of UPs were caffeic acid, cis-p-coumaric acid, trans-p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid. Some batches showed high amounts of cis-p-coumaric acid / total p-coumaric acid. Since this isomerization did not occur during the UP preparation process, it seems likely that isomerization of trans-p-coumaric acid into cis-pcoumaric acid occurred due to sunlight irradiation during umesu storage.
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