Comparative Study of the Chemical Constituents and Bioactivities of the Extracts from Fruits, Leaves and Root Barks of Lycium barbarum

Abstract

The fruits, leaves and root barks of L. barbarum plant are widely used as functional foods and as ingredients in traditional Chinese prescriptions and patent medicines. They are considered to have different pharmacological activities and health benefits because of their diverse constituents. Here, the chemical constituents of the extracts from fruits, leaves and root barks of L. barbarum were compared by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HR-MS). A total of 131 compounds were identified and seven of them were quantified. Among them, 98, 28 and 35 constituents were detected in fruits, leaves and root barks respectively. Dicaffeoylspermidine/spermine derivatives were the most detected compounds (74/131); among them, dicaffeoylspermine isomers and propionyl-dicaffeoylspermidine were found in root barks in very large amounts (e.g., kukoamine B = 10.90 mg/g dry powder); dicaffeoyl-spermidine isomers were detected in fruits/leaves in a high amount, and many of their glycosylated derivatives were mainly detected in fruits. In addition, six saponins from L. barbarum fruits were reported for the first time, and 5,6-dihydrosolasonine was reported for the first time in plants. The activity assays showed that the root bark extract possessed the strongest antioxidative activity and cytotoxicity, which was presumed due to the large amount of dicaffeoylspermine/spermidines in root barks. Fourteen potential bioactive components from fruits were identified by a target cell-based screening method. These results will help to understand the different biological activities of these three parts of L. barbarum plant and will benefit the discovery of new functional components.

Potential of galled leaves of Goji (Lycium chinense) as functional food

“…In this study we also showed that the level of rutin was increased after gall induction. Our data have slight differences from a recent report which showed that the rutin content in fruits is lower than that in leaves of L. barbarum [18]. This inconsistency might be caused by the difference in the Goji cultivar analyzed.…”

“…In this study, we compared the galled and ungalled leaves of L. chinense and showed that the average level of chlorogenic acid was increased after gall induction. Both our report and previous reports have demonstrated higher chlorogenic acid content in leaves than in Goji berry [18], as seen in Table 1 of the present study. According to our research, galled Goji leaves have potential in contributing more of the protective effects against oxidative stress, inflammation, and other hepatoand cardio-related syndromes [37,38].…”

“…Comparative studies have demonstrated the differences in compound contents between the leaves of L. babarum and L. chinense, with higher amounts of chlorogenic acid present in the leaves of L. chinense [16]. After comparing the compounds in the fruit, leaves, and root barks of Goji, results indicate that Goji leaves are valuable sources for obtaining chlorogenic acid and rutin [18]. Moreover, Goji leaves also contain polysaccharides that exert high superoxide and DPPH scavenging abilities, therefore having high antioxidative activity.…”

“…Goji leaves are herbs that are traditionally used in tea and cuisine and has been recognized as a health food. It has also been found that the extracts of Goji leaves possess multiple pharmacological effects, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-diabetic effects [15][16][17][18]. However, the comprehensive profiles of biochemical compounds in Goji leaves have only been identified in recent decades.…”

Quality standard of traditional Chinese medicines: comparison between European Pharmacopoeia and Chinese Pharmacopoeia and recent advances

“…For example, LC–MS is utilized for the determination of toosendanin in Toosendan Fructus and Meliae Cortex in ChP. Xiao et al used UHPLC–MS to identify 131 compounds and quantify seven of them in the fruits, leaves and root barks of Lycium barbarum [ 51 ]. Zeng et al employed UHPLC-triple quadrupole-MS/MS to determine 20 major constituents including salvianolic acids, tanshinones, flavonoids and triterpenes in different parts of Salvia miltiorrhiza [ 52 ].…”