Macro- and Microelement Content and Other Properties of Chaenomeles japonica L. Fruit and Protective Effects of Its Aqueous Extract on Hepatocyte Metabolism

Abstract

This growing interest in the cultivation of Japanese quince Chaenomeles japonica L. results from the potentially beneficial properties of its fruit. Fresh fruits are very firm and too acidic to eat raw, but their bioactive components, distinctive aroma, and high amount of dietary fiber make the fruits well suited for industrial processing. However, not all the properties of the fruit have been investigated. For example, there are no comprehensive reports about the mineral content or potentially harmful effects on liver metabolism. Hence, the purpose of our study was to examine fresh Japanese quince fruit in terms of (1) ascorbic acid, oxalate, fiber, macro- and micronutrients, dry matter, extract, total acidity, antioxidant activity, and phenolic compound levels; and (2) the effect of its extract on in vitro hepatocyte metabolism, measured by the concentration of lipid peroxides (LPO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the severity of apoptosis and necrosis. The fruit of C. japonica had high levels of macro- and microelements, ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds, fiber, and low oxalate levels. Our analysis of macro- and microelements showed that the average content of Fe was 0.516 mg/g, Cu 0.146 mg/g, Zn 0.546 mg/g, Mg 16.729 mg/g, and Ca 22.920 mg/g of fresh fruit. A characteristic feature of the fresh fruit of C. japonica is a high level of polyphenols, which—combined with a high content of vitamin C—affect their high antioxidant potential. In the tested hepatocyte cultures incubated with extract of the Japanese quince, we observed a significant decrease in the concentration of lipid peroxides compared to the control. There were also no signs of increased formation of ROS in the mitochondria of hepatocytes incubated with the extract of quince. Malondialdehyde was strongly negatively correlated with the concentration of Japanese quince extract, which indicates the hepatoprotective properties of Japanese quince. In addition, our analysis of confocal microscopy images showed that the hepatocytes incubated with the extract of Japanese quince at any concentration did not show any signs of apoptosis or necrosis. The aqueous extract of quince fruit has antioxidative and antiapoptotic hepatocytes, thus exerting a hepatoprotective effect.

Antioxidant Properties and Phenolic Compounds of Vitamin C‐Rich Juices

“…The difference of vitamin C content of sea buckthorn depends on species/varieties and analyzed material (berries or juices). The content of vitamin C in Japanese quince juice was 1978 mg/kg, thus being higher than elsewhere, for example, 200 to 1120 mg/kg of fresh C haenomeles juice (Ros et al., ) and 1000 to 1720 mg/kg of Japanese quince fresh fruit (Baranowska‐Bosiacka et al., ). It has been demonstrated that consumption of vitamin C in the form of juice causes a substantial increase in the content of this vitamin in plasma (Duthie et al., ), which can aid an organism in reducing oxidative stress.…”

“…ex Spach (Japanese quince), which occurs naturally in central and southern Japan, is 1 of the 4 species belonging to the genus Chaenomeles , family Rosaceae . Japanese quince has long been very popular in East Asia, and since the 19th century has also been grown in northern Europe (Baranowska‐Bosiacka et al., ). The content of juice in the fruits varied between 41% and 52%, on a fresh weight basis.…”

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

“…Nowadays, the numerous studies confirm the high prophylactic and therapeutic effects of preparations obtained from the fruits, leaves and twigs of various Chaenomeles plants, including their anti-inflammatory (Strugała et al, 2016;Han et al, 2016;Suh et al, 2017), anti-influenza (Zhang et al, 2014), and hepatoprotective activity (Ma et al, 2016;Baranowska-Bosiacka et al, 2017;Zakłos-Szyda & Pawlik, 2018), as well as their effectiveness in the prevention and treatment of diabetes (Watychowicz et al, 2017). In addition, the significant anti-carcinogenic properties of the extracts from Ch.…”

“…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).…”

Incidence of fruit rot on Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) in Latvia

“…Mierina et al (2011) found that quince fruit was the major source of minerals in comparison with other pome fruits. Results of the analysis conducted by Baranowska-Bosiacka et al (2017) showed that quince fruit was rich in valuable nutrients, ascorbic acid, phenols, and fibre and had a low oxalate content. Quince fruits are considered a perspective source for use in medicine (Nahorska, Dzwoniarska, & Thiem, 2014;Banaś & Korus, 2016), cosmetics and food industry (Nahorska, Dzwoniarska, & Thiem, 2014).…”