This
is the first study to report the distribution of urolithin
metabotypes (UMs) in Asian people, specifically in the Chinese. As
was reported for Europeans and Latin Americans, three UMs were observed,
UM-A (54.3%), UM-B (31.4%), and UM-0 (14.3%), in 35 healthy Chinese
youth. The richness and diversity of gut microbiota were lower in
UM-0 than in UM-A and UM-B at the genus level. Gordonibacter in UM-A and UM-B was significantly higher than that in UM-0. The Akkermansia was not found in UM-0. The correlation
analysis between the type and content of urolithins and the gut microbiota
at the genus level showed that 27 genera were significantly positively
correlated with urolithin A and 20 genera were significantly positively
associated with isourolithin A and urolithin B. In addition, different
KEGG pathways such as TCA cycle, energy metabolism, and some disease
were found between the gut microbiome of the three UMs. Further research
is needed to explore the mechanisms of metabotypes and the differential
health benefits or illness predisposition of the three UMs.
Pitahaya peel is a good source of bioactive polyphenols. However, the bound phenolics and their antioxidant activity remain unclear. The bound phenolics of pitahaya peel from two red-skinned species with red pulp (RP) and white pulp (WP) were released with different methods (acid, base, and composite enzymes hydrolysis). The results revealed that base hydrolysis was the most efficient method for releasing the bound phenolics from RP (11.6 mg GAE/g DW) and WP (10.5 mg GAE/g DW), which was 13.04-fold and 8.18-fold for RP and 75.07-fold and 10.94-fold for WP compared with acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis, respectively. A total of 37 phenolic compounds were identified by UPLC-TOF/MS with most chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid in RP, whereas chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, rutin and isoquercitrin were the main compounds in WP. Regardless of the hydrolysis method, the extracts having the highest phenolic content showed the strongest antioxidant activities. The work shows that hydrolysis methods have a significant effect on the release of phenolics, and the contents of major characteristic bound phenolic compounds are related to the ecological type of pitahaya.
Rosa roxburghii Tratt (R. roxburghii) tea is a traditional Chinese beverage. This study aims to investigate and compare the phenolics in free and bound forms of two cultivars of R. roxburghii leaves, and their bioactivities. The total phenolic content of free and bound fractions was 72.71 and 17.75 mg GAE/g DW in Gui Nong No. 5 (GNN5) and 94.28 and 11.19 mg GAE/g DW in Seedless Cili (SC). A total of 37 phenolic compounds were characterized and quantified by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS with ellagic acid, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, and quininic acid in free fraction, while gallic acid, ellagic acid, and hyperoside were main compounds in bound fraction. The free fraction with higher phenolic contents also showed excellent performances on antioxidant activities and α-glucosidase inhibitory potency than bound phenolics. Therefore, the results highlight that R. roxburghii leaves are a promising source enriched in phenolic constituents for functional beverages and nutritional foods.
Ellagic acid (EA) exhibits potential antiaging activity.
Differences
in individual ability to produce urolithins may result in large interindividual
variability in the health effects of EA. Therefore, the effects and
mechanism of EA on d-galactose-induced aging, considering
urolithin A-producing ability, were investigated. Our results showed
that EA improved cognitive impairment and hippocampal damage, increased
the GABA (by 107.84–117.86%) and 5-HT (by 72.56–100.85%)
levels, and suppressed the inflammatory and oxidative stress in aging
rats. Thirteen plasma metabolites and 12 brain metabolites were improved
by EA administration in aging rats. In particular, EA showed a better
anti-aging effect in high-UroA-producing rats than in the low counterparts,
while antibiotic intervention almost offset EA-alleviated aging induced
by d-gal. Furthermore, the lower ratio of Firmicutes and
Bacteroidota as well as the greater abundances of Akkermansia (by 139.21%), Bifidobacterium (by 88.04%), Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 (by 183.47%), Lactobacillus (by 97.23%), and Turicibacter (by 83.06%) were
observed in the high-UroA-producing group compared with the model
group (p < 0.05). These findings provide novel
insights into the anti-aging effects of EA and suggest that the ability
of the gut microbiota responding to EA largely determines EA’s
anti-aging performance.
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