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Huangqin tea (HQT), a Non-Camellia Tea derived from the aerial parts of Scutellaria baicalensis, is widely used in the north of China. The intervention effects of HQT on intestinal inflammation and tumors have been found recently, but the active ingredient and mechanism of action remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the interactions between the potential flavonoid active components and gut microbiota through culture experiments in vitro combined with HPLC-UV, UPLC-QTOF-MS, and 16S rDNA sequencing technology. The results showed that the HQT total flavonoids were mainly composed of isocarthamidin-7-O-β-D-glucuronide, carthamidin-7-O-β-D-glucuronide, scutellarin, and others, which interact closely with gut microbiota. After 48 h, the primary flavonoid glycosides transformed into corresponding aglycones with varying degrees of deglycosylation. The composition of the intestinal microbiota was changed significantly. The beneficial bacteria, such as Enterococcus and Parabacteroides, were promoted, while the harmful bacteria, such as Shigella, were inhibited. The functional prediction results have indicated notable regulatory effects exerted by total flavonoids and scutellarin on various pathways, including purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, among others, to play a role in the intervention of inflammation and tumor-related diseases. These findings provided valuable insights for further in-depth research and investigation of the active ingredients, metabolic processes, and mechanisms of HQT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The section Moutan of the genus Paeonia consists of eight species that are confined to a small area in China. A wide range of metabolites, including monoterpenoid glucosides, flavonoids, tannins, stilbenes, triterpenoids, steroids, paeonols, and phenols, have been found in the species belonging to section Moutan . However, although previous studies have analyzed the metabolites found in these species, the metabolic similarities that can be used for the chemotaxonomic distinction of section Moutan species are not yet clear. In this study, HPLC–DAD-based metabolic fingerprinting was applied to the classification of eight species: Paeonia suffruticosa , Paeonia qiui , Paeonia ostii , Paeonia rockii , Paeonia jishanensis , Paeonia decomposita , Paeonia delavayi , and Paeonia ludlowii . In total, of the 47 peaks that exhibited an occurrence frequency of 75% in all 23 tree peony samples, 43 of these metabolites were identified according to their retention times and UV absorption spectra, together with combined HPLC–QTOF-MS. These data were compared with reference standard compounds. The 43 isolated compounds included 17 monoterpenoid glucosides, 11 galloyl glucoses, 5 flavonoids, 6 paeonols and 4 phenols. Principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), showed a clear separation between the species based on metabolomics similarities and four groups were identified. The results exhibited good agreement with the classical classification based on the morphological characteristics and geographical distributions of the subsections Vaginatae F.C. Stern and Delavayanae F.C. Stern with the exception of P. decomposita , which was found to be a transition species between these two subsections. According to their metabolic fingerprinting characteristics, P. ostii and P. suffruticosa can be considered one species, and this result is consistent with the viewpoint of medicinal plant scientists but different from that of classical morphological processing. Significantly large variations were obtained in the metabolic profiles of P. delavayi , whereas no significant difference was found between P. delavayi and P. ludlowii . This indicates that these two species have a close genetic relationship. In conclusion, the combination of HPLC–DAD and multivariate analyses has great potential for guiding future chemotaxonomic studies to examine the potential pharmaceutical value of the effective constituents of tree peony species and appears to be able to clarify the confusion and skepticism associated with the reported morphology- and molecular phylogenetics-based taxonomy of tree peonies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paeonia is famous as ornamental, medicinal plant, and edible oil crop in China. The seeds of peonies are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, monoterpene glycosides, sterols and stilbenes which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, etc. In this study, the composition and content of stilbenes in the seed coat extracts (SCE) from 50 populations of 18 species and two subspecies of Paeonia were determined by high performance liquid chromatography - diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). The results showed that the composition and content of stilbenes, especially suffruticosol B and gnetin H, differed significantly between Paeonia species, while there were small differences between populations of the same species. All the samples were clustered into two groups according to the stilbenes in SCE. The difference between the two groups was mainly reflected in the content of suffruticosol B and gnetin H. Furthermore, all samples showed high antioxidant activity, which was significantly positively correlated with the total polyphenol content. The SCE of P. anomala and P. lactiflora at different concentrations could effectively inhibit the production of matrix metalloproteinase − 1 (MMP-1) in keratinocytes, and then achieve the effect of inhibiting cell aging. This study provided a valuable reference for the value-added utilization of Paeonia seed coat. ● Paeonia seed coat is rich in stilbenes, most of them are resveratrol trimer. ● Suffruticosol B and gnetin H are the two stilbenes with the highest content in Paeonia seed coat. ● Paeonia seed coat extract can effectively inhibit the production of matrix metalloproteinase −1 in skin keratinocytes. ● Paeonia seed coat can be used as a new resource to develop anti- photoaging products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea buckthorn berries are rich in bioactive compounds and can be used for medicine and food. The variety and drying method used have an important influence on quality. In this study, different sea buckthorn varieties from China were selected and dried with four common drying methods. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), contents of 12 phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity in vitro were analyzed. The results showed that the TPC, TFC and antioxidant activity of two wild sea buckthorn berries were higher than those of three cultivated berries, and for the same varieties, measured chemical contents and antioxidant activity of the freeze-dried fruit were significantly higher than those obtained with three conventional drying methods. In addition, forty-one compounds in sea buckthorn berry were identified by UPLC-PDA-Q/TOF-MS, most of which were isorhamnetin derivatives. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed narcissin and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside varied significantly in sea buckthorn berries of different varieties and with different drying methods; they were potential quality markers. Strong correlations were found between TPC, gallic acid and antioxidant capacity (p < 0.05). The results revealed how components and antioxidant activity varied in different sea buckthorn, which provides a valuable reference for quality control and further development and utilization of sea buckthorn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance The genus Acer (Aceraceae), commonly known as maple, comprises approximately 129 species that primarily grow in the northern hemisphere, especially in the temperate regions of East Asia, eastern North America, and Europe. These plants have been traditionally used to treat a wide range of diseases in East Asia and North America. Moreover, clinical studies have shown that medicinal plants belonging to Acer are highly effective in the treatment of rheumatism, bruises, hepatic disorders, eye disease, and pain, and in detoxification. This review provides a systematic and constructive overview of the traditional uses, chemical constituents, and pharmacological activities of plants of the genus Acer . Material and methods This review is based on a literature study of scientific journals and books from libraries and electronic sources such as SciFinder, ScienceDirect, Springer, PubMed, CNKI, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, and Web of Science. The literature in this review related to chemical constituents and pharmacological activities dates from 1922 to the end of October 2015. Furthermore, ethnopharmacological information on this genus was obtained from libraries and herbaria in China and USA. Results In traditional medicine, 40 species, 11 subspecies, and one varieta of the genus Acer are known to exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activities. To date, 331 compounds have been identified from 34 species of the genus Acer , including flavonoids, tannins, phenylpropanoids, diarylheptanoids, terpenoids, benzoic acid derivatives, and several other types of compounds, such as phenylethanoid glycosides and alkaloids. Preliminary pharmacological studies have shown that the extracts and compounds isolated from this genus exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activities such as antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, and antiobesity activities, as well as promoting osteoblast differentiation. To date, reports on the toxicity of Acer species to humans are very limited, and the major safety concern of these plants is in the veterinary field. Conclusions Based on our systematic review, Acer species can be used to treat rheumatism, hepatic disorders, eye disease, pain, etc. effectively. Some indications from ethnomedicine have been validated by pharmacological activities, such as the anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities of the species. The available literature showed that most of the activities of these species can be attributed to flavonoids and tannins. To ensure the safety and efficacy in clinical practice in the future, studies identifying active molecules and clarifying their pharmacological mechanisms as well as toxicity are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the genetic diversity among wild germplasm resources of Coix that distributed at altitude of 550-1550 m in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province by comparing the morphological variation, biological and economical factors., Method: The field plot experiments were conducted to observation the germination rate, growth period. While the milled rice rate, content of protein, crude fat and ethanol extract of 9 wild Coix germplasm resources were measured., Result: The germination rate of 9 germplasm was from 22% to 81%, and the growth period was among 139-156 d, which belongs to the medium-late mature type. The germination rate, growth stage, plant height, leaf length and width, tiller number, ramification number, seed number per stem of 9 Coix germplasm were significantly different (P < 0.05), respectively. The range of seed total protein contents were from 15.63% 25.74%, crude fat contents were from 5.05%-7.14%, and the contents of alcohol extract, which showed antitumor activity, were from 5.85%-7.27%., Conclusion: The fact of quite different in plant morphological, biological and quality characters of 9 germplasm suggested that the genetic diversity in the wild populations of Coix distributed throughout the regions of Xishuangbanna is relatively abundant.