The flavonoids in Panax notoginseng were qualitatively analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), and the content of three main flavonoids in P. notoginseng of different specifications and grades collected from different habitats was determined by HPLC-DAD. Flavonoids and anthocyanins were analyzed by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS in the positive and negative ion modes, respectively. Twelve flavonoid glycosides and one anthocyanin glycoside in P. notoginseng were identified, but no flavonoid aglycones were detected. Among them, 12 compounds were identified in the underground part of P. notoginseng for the first time and eight compounds were first reported in this plant. Moreover, six and four compounds were identified in the Panax genus and the Araliaceae family for the first time, respectively. A method for simultaneous determination of three flavonoids in P. notoginseng was established by HPLC-DAD. The content of flavonoids in 721 P. notoginseng samples of 124 specifications and grades collected from 20 different habitats was simultaneously determined. Among three flavonoids determined, the content of quercetin-3-O-(2″-β-D-xylosyl)-β-D-galactoside was the highest with the average content in the tested samples of 161.0 μg·g~(-1). The content of compounds quercetin-3-O-hexosyl-hexoside and kaempferol-3-O-pentosyl-hexoside was relatively low, with the average content of 18.5 μg·g~(-1)(calculated as quercetin-3-O-sophoroside) and 49.4 μg·g~(-1)(calculated as kaempferol-3-O-sangbu diglycoside). There were significant differences in flavonoids content of samples from different production area. The content of flavonoids in spring P. notoginseng was significantly lower than that in winter P. notoginseng when the other influencing factors such as production areas, germplasm resources, and cultivation conditions were fixed. As for P. notoginseng of different specifications, the flavonoid content in the part connecting the taproot and the aboveground stem was significantly higher than that in other parts. The results of large-scale data showed that the flavonoid content gradually increased with the increase in the number of heads. There were significant differences between the flavonoid content in most specifications and grades, especially the 20-head P. notoginseng and countless head P. notoginseng, whose content was significantly lower and significantly higher than that of other specifications and grades, respectively. This study provides a scientific basis for the study of the effective components and quality control of P. notoginseng from the perspective of flavonoids.
Flavonoids/analysis* ; Anthocyanins/analysis* ; Quercetin ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Kaempferols ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Glycosides

The flower color of Dendrobium catenatum(D. officinale) tends to fade during storage. In order to clarify the influence of storage conditions on the pigment components in flowers, two conditions were applied:temperature and illumination. The contents of pigments in the D. catenatum flower were determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry and HPLC, and the changes of them during storage were analyzed. The results showed that illumination and temperature had an effect on the pigments of D. catenatum flower during sto-rage. Illumination significantly promoted the degradation of pigments. The contents of total chlorophyll, carotenoids and anthocyanins in the light samples were significantly lower than those in the dark. The total chlorophyll, carotenoids and anthocyanins in the light samples were decreased by 46.5%, 63.4%, and 69.2% respectively. Illumination had a greater effect on fat-soluble pigments than water-soluble pigments. Among the three temperature treatments, the contents of chlorophyll, carotenoid and anthocyanin were as follows:-20 ℃>4 ℃>room temperature, it is indicated that-20 ℃ was the best temperature to maintain the stability of pigment composition. The contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, β-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin in the light samples decreased by 34.8%, 69.0%, 72.5%, 61.6%, 36.1%, respectively. After storage for 5 months, the contents of chlorophyll, carotenoid and anthocyanin constituent at-20 ℃ was significantly higher than those at 4 ℃ and room temperature. The results show that light avoiding and low-temperature can effectively slow down the degradation of pigment components. Therefore, it is suggested that D. catenatum flower should be stored in light avoiding and low-temperature conditions in actual production and processing, which can prolong the usable time.
Anthocyanins/analysis* ; Carotenoids/analysis* ; Chlorophyll/analysis* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Dendrobium/chemistry* ; Drug Storage ; Flowers/chemistry* ; Light ; Pigments, Biological/analysis* ; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry* ; Spectrophotometry ; Temperature

OBJECTIVECyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) is the main active ingredient of anthocyanidin. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of C3G on body weight gain, visceral adiposity, lipid profiles and insulin resistance in high-fat diet-induced obese rats.

METHODSThirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group (n=8) and a high fat diet group (n=22), and were fed with standard diet or high fat diet. Five weeks later, 17 high-fat diet-induced obese rats were randomly given C3G [100 mg/(kg·d)] or normal saline via intragastric administration for 5 weeks. Five weeks later, body weight, visceral adiposity and food intake were measured. Blood samples were collected for detecting fasting glucose, serum insulin, lipid profiles and adiponectin. Insulin resistance index, atherosclerosis index and average feed efficiency ratio were calculated.

RESULTSC3G supplementation markedly decreased body weight, visceral adiposity, average feed efficiency ratio, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting glucose, serum insulin, insulin resistance index and atherosclerosis index in high-fat diet-induced obese rats. C3G supplementation normalized serum adiponectin and high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in high-fat diet-induced obese rats.

CONCLUSIONSCyanidin-3-glucoside can reduce body weight gain, and attenuate obesity-associated dyslipidemia and insulin resistance in high-fat diet-fed rats via up-regulating serum adiponectin level.

Animals ; Anthocyanins ; pharmacology ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Diet, High-Fat ; Glucosides ; pharmacology ; Insulin Resistance ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Obesity ; blood ; drug therapy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Weight Gain ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Anthocyanin (Ay) on Cadmium-Induced Mouse testis Damage.

METHODSMouse testis damage model were constructed and testis malonaldehyde (MDA) and protein carbonxyl content (PCO), as well as catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined.

RESULTSThe intoxication of cadmium can cause the increase of MDA and PCO content in mouse testis (P < 0.05), however, the activities of SOD and CAT were altered (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONAy have the strong potent to scavenge free radicals, owing to its special chemical structures, and act as a protector to inhibit the oxidative stress induced by cadmium.

Animals ; Anthocyanins ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Cadmium ; toxicity ; Catalase ; drug effects ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; analysis ; Mice ; Oxidative Stress ; Protein Carbonylation ; drug effects ; Superoxide Dismutase ; drug effects ; Testis ; drug effects

The leucoanthocyantin reducase (LAR) gene, an important functional gene of catechins biosynthesis pathway, was cloned from Fagopyrum dibotrys (D.Don) Hara by degenerate PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The full-length cDNA of FdLAR is 1 581 bp (GenBank accession: JN793953), containing a 1 176 bp ORF encoding a 391 amino acids protein, and its 3'-untranslated region has an obvious polyadenylation signal. The recombinant plasmid containing FdLAR completed ORF was transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3). The target fusion peptide with molecular weight of 66 kD was expressed under the condition of 16 degrees C and induced by IPTG at final concentration of 1.0 mmol x L(-1). Bioinformation analysis indicated that the amino acid sequence of FdLAR showed great homology to other LAR with the NADB-Rossmann conversed domain in the N-terminus. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression levels of FdLAR gene during different development periods. The determination of flavonoids contents in appropriate rhizomes showed that the relationship between FdLAR gene expression and the accumulation of flavonoids displayed different trends during vegetative growth and reproductive growth stages, suggesting that the FdLAR gene may be involved in the pathway of flavonoid metabolisms in Fagopyrum dibotrys.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Anthocyanins ; metabolism ; Cloning, Molecular ; Fagopyrum ; enzymology ; genetics ; growth & development ; Flavonoids ; analysis ; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Genes, Plant ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Oxidoreductases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phylogeny ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; enzymology ; genetics ; growth & development ; Rhizome ; genetics

The effects of black rice anthocyanidins (BRACs) on retinal damage induced by photochemical stress are not well known. In the present study, Sprague-Dawley rats were fed AIN-93M for 1 week, after which 80 rats were randomly divided into two groups and treated with (n = 40) or without BRACs (n = 40) for 15 days, respectively. After treatment, both groups were exposed to fluorescent light (3,000 +/- 200 lux; 25degrees C), and the protective effect of dietary BRACs were evaluated afterwards. Our results showed that dietary BRACs effectively prevented retinal photochemical damage and inhibited the retinal cells apoptosis induced by fluorescent light (p < 0.05). Moreover, dietary BRACs inhibited expression of AP-1 (c-fos/c-jun subunits), up-regulated NF-kappaB (p65) expression and phosphorylation of IkappaB-alpha, and decreased Caspase-1 expression (p < 0.05). These results suggest that BRACs improve retinal damage produced by photochemical stress in rats via AP-1/NF-kappaB/Caspase-1 apoptotic mechanisms.
Animal Feed/analysis ; Animals ; Anthocyanins/administration & dosage/*pharmacology ; Antioxidants/administration & dosage/*physiology ; Blotting, Western ; Caspase 1/*genetics/metabolism ; Diet ; Dietary Supplements/analysis ; I-kappa B Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; NF-kappa B/*genetics/metabolism ; Neoplasm Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Nucleocytoplasmic Transport Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Oryza sativa/chemistry ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/genetics/metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun/genetics/metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Retinal Diseases/etiology/*prevention & control ; Signal Transduction/*drug effects/radiation effects ; Transcription Factor AP-1/*genetics/metabolism