Search Results (3)

Nine new compounds (1–9), including four dihydrochalcone glycosides, two dibenzofuran glycosides, and two biphenyl glycosides, were isolated from the leaves of the medicinal plant Malus hupehensis collected in Shennongjia Forestry District (Hubei, China). Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic techniques, including HRESIMS and NMR spectra. All compounds were tested by preliminary biological evaluation for their α-glucosidase inhibitory and NO production activities. Compound 4 was found to show significant inhibitory activity against NO production in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells with an IC₅₀ value of 29.60 μM, and compounds 3 and 4 were found to exhibit potent α-glucosidase inhibition with IC₅₀ values of 44.17 and 60.15 μM, respectively. This work represents the first report of the diverse glycosides from the plant Malus hupehensis. It expands our understanding of the secondary metabolites of this medicinal plant and lays the foundation for the study of the bioactive principles of the ethnic hypoglycemic medicinal plant. Full article

Due to the aging of trees, aged apple and cherry orchards need to be rebuilt urgently. However, due to the limitation of land resources, it is inevitable to rebuild the apple orchard by taking the aged cherry orchard as a replacement, which will lead to replant disease and seriously affect the sustainable development of the horticulture industry. This study investigated the effect of aged cherry orchard soil on the growth of M. hupehensis seedlings grown in pots, and it was further verified that allelochemicals in soil were one of the reasons for this effect. Three treatments were implemented: aged apple orchard soil (ppl), aged cherry orchard soil (pyl), and aged cherry orchard soil after fumigation with methyl bromide (pyz). Compared with pyz, pyl treatment significantly decreased the biomass, root growth, and antioxidant enzyme activity of M. hupehensis seedlings, and increased the content of MDA. Compared with ppl, pyl contains a smaller number of fungi and bacteria, but the abundance of the four disease-causing Fusarium remained high. In addition, the levels of allelochemicals found in the soil of aged cherry orchards can inhibit the normal growth and development of M. hupehensis seedlings. Amygdalin most strongly inhibited these seedlings. In summary, directly planting M. hupehensis seedlings in the soil of the aged cherry orchards still inhibits their normal growth and development, although the seedlings grow better than in aged apple orchard soil. Therefore, it is not feasible to directly plant M. hupehensis seedlings in the soil of aged cherry orchards, and measures should be taken to eliminate allelochemicals such as amygdalin and harmful microorganisms. Full article

As a traditional Chinese drink, tea is favored for its rich flavor and its medicinal functionality. In this study, the in vitro bioactivities of Wushanshencha (WST; a local tea from Chongqing, China), which is processed mainly from the leaves of the wild Malus hupehensis (Pamp.) Rehd.). We assessed the scavenging capacity of tea extracts on 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH); 2, 2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6- sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS); and hydroxyl (OH) free radicals, and demonstrate the high antioxidant activity and dose-dependent relationship of these extracts. We also detail the anti-mutagenic effect of these tea extracts against the Salmonella typhimurium TA98 strain induced by the 2, 7-diaminofluorene (2, 7-AF) mutagen and the TA100 strain induced by the N-methyl-N′-nitro- N- nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) mutagen at concentrations of 1.25 and 2.50 mg/plate, respectively, with the high-dose groups showing better results. We investigated the anticancer mechanisms of WST extracts (40, 100, and 160 μg/mL) in HepG2 human hepatoma cells via 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The results showed that the proliferation of HepG2 cells was significantly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by the tea extracts. Moreover, apoptosis in HepG2 cells was induced via upregulation of Caspase-3, Caspase-7, Caspase-8, Caspase-9, p21, p53, and Bax as well as downregulation of Bcl-2 apoptosis-associated factors, as assessed via mRNA expression levels after treating with WST extracts. The expression of inflammation-related factors, e.g., NF-κB, and Cox-2, was significantly downregulated by the WST extracts, demonstrating its inflammatory properties. Together, these observations indicated that WST extracts have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. In addition, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that WST extracts contained chlorogenic acid, 4-hydroxycinnamic acid, isoquercitrin, taxifolin, quercitrin, rosmarinic acid, myricetin, baicalin, neosperidin dihydrochalcone, and quercetin. As such, WST appears to be an effectively functional drink, due to its rich functional components and anti-cancer activity. Full article