Dibenzocyclooctadiene Lignans in Plant Parts and Fermented Beverages of Schisandra chinensis

Abstract

The fruit of Schisandra chinensis, Omija, is a well-known traditional medicine used as an anti-tussive and anti-diarrhea agent, with various biological activities derived from the dibenzocyclooctadiene-type lignans. A high-pressure liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method was used to determine seven lignans (schisandrol A and B, tigloylgomisin H, angeloylgomisin H, schisandrin A, B, and C) in the different plant parts and beverages of the fruit of S. chinensis grown in Korea. The contents of these lignans in the plant parts descended in the following order: seeds, flowers, leaves, pulp, and stems. The total lignan content in Omija beverages fermented with white sugar for 12 months increased by 2.6-fold. Omija was fermented for 12 months with white sugar, brown sugar, and oligosaccharide/white sugar (1:1, w/w). The total lignan content in Omija fermented with oligosaccharide/white sugar was approximately 1.2- and 1.7-fold higher than those fermented with white sugar and brown sugar, respectively. A drink prepared by immersion of the fruit in alcohol had a higher total lignan content than these fermented beverages. This is the first report documenting the quantitative changes in dibenzocyclooctadiene-type lignans over a fermentation period and the effects of the fermentable sugars on this eco-friendly fermentation process.

Stability and Bioaccessibility of Lignans in Food Products

“…The authors concluded that the type of sugar also plays a part in the fermentation outcome of lignans. 26 Pickling is a different form of natural fermentation of fruits and vegetables in acidic or salt solutions. A study focused on the effect of pickling on the lignan content in shallots, celery, green Chinese mustard, and long beans.…”

“…NADS, such as sugars, in the solid form, can improve the solubility of nonwater-soluble bioactive compounds such as lignans. The authors concluded that the type of sugar also plays a part in the fermentation outcome of lignans …”

Special Issue Editorial: Isolation and Analysis of Characteristic Compounds from Herbal and Plant Extracts

“…As a result, contents of lignan were the highest in seed, followed by fruit, flower, leaf, pup, and stem. Lignan content increased proportionally to fermentation period, and the Omija beverage fermented with oligosaccharide/white sugar had the highest contents of lignan compared to beverages fermented with other sugars [6].…”

“…By isolating and characterizing the compounds in extracts, it helps to elucidate the pharmacological activities from the extract and explains the biochemical metabolism of compounds inside plants and herbs. In this Special Issue, thirteen research articles [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] and two reviews [14,15] focusing on isolation and analysis of compounds from plant extracts have been published. This Special Issue of Plants covers a broad range of recent findings of isolation, profiling, analysis of compounds from herbal and plant extracts, quality control, and standardization of processing extracts with characterized compounds.…”

Matching chemical properties to molecular biological activities opens a new perspective on l‐ergothioneine

“…Over the years, attempts have been made to characterize the origin, fate and function of this unique compound [2,3]. Initially discovered in a fungal contaminant of rye grain, EGT is present in some anaerobic [4] and aerobic [5] micro-organisms, as well as plants [6], and was later found to be highly concentrated in the cells [7], organs and tissues [8] of most animals and humans.…”