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The present work investigated the phenolic profiles (including nonanthocyanin and anthocyanin phenolics), antioxidant activities, and neuroprotective potential of mulberry fruit (MF) (Morus atropurpurea Roxb.) grown in China at different ripening stages. High-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method (HPLC-MS/MS) was used to identify and quantify the phenolic compounds. The antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total monomeric anthocyanin content (TAC) were determined using spectrophotometric methods. The neuroprotective effects of MFs at different ripening stages were investigated using Aβ 25-35 -treated PC12 cells as the cellular model of Alzheimer's disease. Of the 19 phenolic compounds characterized from the MF extracts, the contents of rutin and anthocyanins increased and that of chlorogenic acid decreased significantly with maturity. At the fully ripened stage, MF extracts showed the highest amounts of TPC (11.23 mg gallic acid equivalents/g fresh weight), TFC (15.1 mg rutin equivalents/g fresh weight), and TAC (1177 mg cyanidin 3-O-glucoside equivalents/100 g fresh weight). Meanwhile, antioxidant activity of MF extracts at this stage was highest according to ABTS (an IC50 value of 4.11 μg/mL) and DPPH (an IC50 value of 10.08 μg/mL) assays. Cellular assays revealed increased cell viability in cells treated with the ripe MF extracts; compared with the control groups, the ripening fruits also increased the antioxidant enzyme levels in PC12 cells. Together, these results suggest that the antioxidant activities and neuroprotective properties of ripening MFs are related to the contents and types of phenolic compounds that are present in the fruits., (© 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

A precise and selective reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for quantifying huperzine A (HupA) in samples of the Huperziaceae in China. This method was used to quantify the levels of HupA in samples of Huperzia serrata collected from a single population at different times of the year, in different organs of the same H. serrata plant, and from different geographical locations of H. serrata plants in China. For different species of Huperziaceae, the highest content of HupA was found in Phlegmariurus carinatus. Members of the genus Phlegmariurus possessed higher levels of HupA than Huperzia species. H. serrata plants growing in humid forests contained significantly more HupA than plants growing in less humid environments. Finally, HupA content varied significantly by season, with the highest levels being found in mid fall and the lowest levels in early spring, suggesting that HupA is turned over in the plant.