Systematic Review of Chemical Constituents in the Genus Lycium (Solanaceae)

Abstract

The Lycium genus is widely used as a traditional Chinese medicine and functional food. Many of the chemical constituents of the genus Lycium were reported previously. In this review, in addition to the polysaccharides, we have enumerated 355 chemical constituents and nutrients, including 22 glycerogalactolipids, 29 phenylpropanoids, 10 coumarins, 13 lignans, 32 flavonoids, 37 amides, 72 alkaloids, four anthraquinones, 32 organic acids, 39 terpenoids, 57 sterols, steroids, and their derivatives, five peptides and three other constituents. This comprehensive study could lay the foundation for further research on the Lycium genus.

The Effect of Encapsulated Powder of Goji Berry (Lycium barbarum) on Growth and Survival of Probiotic Bacteria

“…Also, a probiotic L. plantarum species was shown to produce glucomannan exopolysaccharides, utilizing different sugars, such as lactose, glucose, galactose, and sucrose [50]. Notably, a large concentration of galactose, as well as fructose and xylose oligosaccharides, are present in Goji berry polysaccharides [51,52], which may stimulate exopolysaccharide synthesis by probiotic bacteria and explain the stimulatory effect of Goji berry polysaccharides observed in our study. More specifically, the survival and prevalence of probiotic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract is partly dependent on the existence of extracellular polysaccharides produced by certain LAB as well as by Bifidobacteria [41,51].…”

“…Notably, a large concentration of galactose, as well as fructose and xylose oligosaccharides, are present in Goji berry polysaccharides [51,52], which may stimulate exopolysaccharide synthesis by probiotic bacteria and explain the stimulatory effect of Goji berry polysaccharides observed in our study. More specifically, the survival and prevalence of probiotic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract is partly dependent on the existence of extracellular polysaccharides produced by certain LAB as well as by Bifidobacteria [41,51]. These polysaccharide capsules act as a "shield", reducing the contact of the cells with the outer environment and facilitating survival under environmental stress conditions [42,51].…”

“…More specifically, the survival and prevalence of probiotic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract is partly dependent on the existence of extracellular polysaccharides produced by certain LAB as well as by Bifidobacteria [41,51]. These polysaccharide capsules act as a "shield", reducing the contact of the cells with the outer environment and facilitating survival under environmental stress conditions [42,51]. Interestingly, many of the building blocks of Goji berry polysaccharides, such as galactose, glucose, and mannose among others, are also components of the protective extracellular capsule that probiotic bacteria can synthesize [53].…”

Fatty Acid and Phytosterol Composition, and Biological Activities of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. Seed Oil

“…With growing demand on nutritional and functional properties of seed oils, the chemical composition and biological activities of oils for nonconventional oilseeds are concerned more and more (Nehdi, Sbihi, Tan, & Al-Resayes, 2013). LRM seed oil have not received much attention and are still poorly documented, although those of other species of Lycium (L. chinense, L. barbarum, L. ruthenicum, and L. intricatum) have been investigated (Blasi, Montesano, Simonetti, & Cossignani, 2017;Boulila & Bejaoui, 2015;Chi, Xiao, Dong, Yang, & Hu, 2016;Qian, Zhao, Yang, & Huang, 2017). For example, Lycium barbarum (wolfberry) seed, a waste from fruit product processing contains 25% oil, which mainly contains linoleic (63%), oleic (15%), and palmitic (7%) fatty acids.…”

Fatty acid and mineral contents of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. and antioxidant activity against isoproterenol‐induced acute myocardial ischemia in mice

“…in Chinese or called "black goji berry") (Xin, Zhu, Du, & Xu, 2017) are known to be a good source of functional components including polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, fatty acids, and minerals (Peng et al, 2012). Among these chemical constituents, anthocyanins and polysaccharides have been proven to be the major bioactive compounds (Qian, Zhao, Yang, & Huang, 2017), with anthocyanins, the main functional compositions in these berries (Islam, Yu, Badwal, & Xu, 2017;Zheng et al, 2011). LRM has been used for the treatment of many diseases, recent pharmacological studies reported a lot of biological activities including, anti-cancer, anti-diabetes (Nzeuwa, Xia et al 2017), anti-fatigue, and antioxidant activities (Islam, Yu et al 2017).…”