2-O-β-D-Glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid (AA-2βG) is a natural derivative of vitamin C (Lascorbic acid, AA) isolated from Goji berry (Lycium barbarum L.) fruit. We evaluated the antioxidant activities of AA-2βG and AA using in vitro and in vivo model systems. In vitro radical scavenging assays demonstrated that AA-βG was capable of scavenging 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl and hydroxyl peroxide and inhibiting H(2)O(2)-induced hemolysis better than AA. AA-2βG and AA had similar hydroxyl radical scavenging capabilities, but AA-2βG was incapable of scavenging superoxide anion radicals, and its capacity to scavenge nitrite (NO(2) (-)) was lower than that of AA. The overall in vitro reduction capability of AA-2βG was also significantly lower than that of AA. Moreover, in vivo studies demonstrated that AA-2βG was capable of protecting the liver against carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury in mice. These results suggest that AA-2βG is an important antioxidant component of Goji berry fruit, which may share similar but distinct antioxidant mechanistic properties with AA. This study furthers our understanding of the mechanisms of Goji berry fruit pharmacological activities on antiaging and antitumor properties as a traditional medicine and dietary supplement.
The EC 50 values of matrine and oxymatrine against five forest pathogenic fungi (Fusarium oxysporum, Valsa pini, Cladosporium oxysporum, Sphaeropsis sapinea, Marssonina brunnea) were examined by bioassay methods. The results demonstrated that matrine and oxymatrine had strong inhibitory activities to the conidium germination of the tested fungi. The EC 50 values of matrine for inhibiting the conidium germination of Marssonina brunnea, Cladosporium oxysporum, Sphaeropsis sapinea were 123 μg·mL -1 , 272 μg·mL -1 , 1133 μg·mL -1 , respectively, and the EC 50 values of oxymatrine for inhibiting the conidium germination of Fusarium oxysporum, Sphaeropsis sapinea were 532 μg·mL -1 , 601 μg·mL -1 , respectively. The hyphal growth of the fungi was also significantly inhibited by matrine and oxymatrine. The EC 50 values of matrine inhibiting the conidium germination of Sphaeropsis sapinea, Valsa pini, Fusarium oxysporum were 428 μg·mL -1 , 535 μg·mL -1 , 592 μg·mL -1 , respectively. The EC 50 values of oxymatrine inhibiting the conidium germination of Valsa pini, Fusarium oxysporum were 323, 618 μg·mL -1 , respectively. In the synergetic tests the EC 50 values of the mixtures of thiophanate methyl (or chlorthalonil) and matrine (or oxymatrine) were lower than 34 μg·mL -1 while their co-toxicity coefficients were significantly higher than 100. It indicated that the mixture of the alkaloids and the chemical had potential practical utilization in controlling certain forest fungal diseases.
Lycium barbarum fruit has been used as a Chinese traditional medicine and dietary supplement for centuries. 2-O-β-D-Glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid (AA-2βG), a novel stable vitamin C analog, is one of the main biologically active components of the fruit. In this report, we investigated the cytotoxic and antiproliferative effect of AA-2βG against cancer cells in vitro and identified the proteins with significantly differential expression in the cervical cancer cells (Hela) cultured in the presence of AA-2βG proteomic analysis. Our results demonstrated that the cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity of AA-2βG on cancer cell lines were in a cell type-, time-, and dose-dependent manner. Similar to vitamin C, the AA-2βG selectively induced cell death repressed the proliferation of Hela cells by the mechanism of cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest induced by AA-2βG through a mechanism of stabilizing p53 protein. However, the biological activity of inhibition of cell proliferation in other malignant cancer cell lines or primary cells were varied, as demonstrated by either moderate inhibition or slight promotion following treatment with AA-2βG. Comparative analysis of the proteomic profiles and immunoblot analysis identified 15 proteins associated with repressing cell apoptosis and/or stimulating cell proliferation in Hela cells that were downregulated in the presence of AA-2βG or vitamin C. These data indicate that a mechanism of the AA-2βG and vitamin C mediated antitumor activity by downregulating the expression of proteins involved in cell apoptosis and proliferation and consequently inducing Hela cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, suggesting that AA-2βG and vitamin C may share a similar mechanism of inducing Hela cell apoptosis. These results also suggest that the L. barbarum fruit may be a potential dietary supplement and anticancer agent aimed at the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer.
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