Chemical Composition and Bioactivities of Two Common Chaenomeles Fruits in China: Chaenomeles speciosa and Chaenomeles sinensis

Abstract

Contents of total flavonoids, total phenolics, total triterpenes, total condensed tannin and total saponins in peels, flesh and endocarps of Chaenomeles speciosa (CSP) and Chaenomeles sinensis (CSS) were determined by colorimetric method, while 5 phenolics (vanillic, gallic, chlorogenic, ferulic and p-coumaric acids), 2 triterpenes (oleanolic and ursolic acids), and 3 flavonoids (rutin, catechin and epicatechin) were identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and HPLC, and antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of them also were evaluated as well as their digestive characteristics. In the correlation analysis, total phenolics, vanillic acid, catechin, ursolic acid and oleanolic acid all contribute to DPPH(·) scavenge capacity, gallic acid contributes to total ferric reducing antioxidant power, while total triterpenes, total saponins, chlorogenic acid and ferullic acid contribute to α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. In the principal component analysis, endocarps of CSP and CSS both show better quality than their peels and flesh, respectively. In vitro digestion can increase contents of total flavonoids, total condensed tannin and total saponins, while contents of total phenolics and total triterpenes decreased greatly. Our study would contribute to the full use of discarded parts of the 2 Chaenomeles and be helpful to establish a good foundation for further research of CSP and CSS.

Interspecific differences of antioxidant ability of introduced Chaenomeles species with respect to adaptation to the steppe zone conditions

“…japonica fruits. Dissimilar levels of the flavonoids accumulation in fruits of different species can be attributed to the general diversity of the phenolic compounds, which was found within the genus Chaenomeles (Watychowicz et al, 2017;Miao et al, 2016;Lewandowska et al, 2013).…”

“…The adap-tation of these introduced plants to the new habitat was assessed from a phenological position, but the plants' capacity for biosynthesis and the accumulation of secondary metabolites has not been investigated. Meanwhile, the fruits and other plant organs of the Chaenomeles species are a rich source of polyphenols (Miao et al, 2016), organic acids, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, vitamin C (Watychowicz et al, 2017), triterpenes and procyanidins (Du et al, 2016), as well as the macro-and microelements (Baranowska-Bosiacka et al, 2017). It is natural that the fruits of various species of the Chaenomeles genus have been used for centuries in China and other countries of Southeast Asia for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, anemia, rheumatism and gout (Du et al, 2013;Watychowicz et al, 2017).…”

Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of <em>Chaenomeles Speciosa</em>: An Edible Medicinal Chinese Mugua

“…Chaenomeles are enriched with antioxidants and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities are well documented in recent studies [7]. Various parts of the Chaenomeles plant have variable amounts of phytochemicals such as peels are rich in triterpenes due to which its highly antioxidant [7]. This is quiet common observation which is being supported by multiple studies, that peels of a variety of fruits such as pear and hawthorn are having more antioxidants [8].…”

“…Chaenomeles are enriched with antioxidants and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities are well documented in recent studies [7]. Various parts of the Chaenomeles plant have variable amounts of phytochemicals such as peels are rich in triterpenes due to which its highly antioxidant [7].…”

The Chaenomeles sinensis Extract has the Potential to Exhibit Antioxidant Activity or Attenuate Liver Damage

“…Chaenomeles sinensis (Thouin) Koehne belongs to the Rosaceae family, which is a cultivated plant of Chinese origin. Its main components are saponin, organic acid, flavonoid and tannin [1]. C. sinensis is used as traditional Chinese medicines for treating bronchial diseases.…”