Cholinesterase inhibitory triterpenoids from the bark of <i>Garcinia hombroniana</i>

<div><p></p><p><i>Context</i>: <i>Garcinia hombroniana</i> Pierre, known as manggis hutan in Malaysia is a rich source of xanthones and benzophenones.</p><p><i>Objectives</i>: This study was aimed to isolate and characterize potential cholinesterase inhibitors from the extracts of <i>G. hombroniana</i> bark and investigate their interactions with the enzymes.</p><p><i>Materials and methods</i>: The dichloromethane extract afforded five triterpenoids which were characterized by NMR and mass spectral techniques. Cholinesterase inhibitory assay and molecular docking were performed to get insight of the inhibitory activity and molecular interactions of the compounds. The compounds were also tested for their antioxidant capacity.</p><p><i>Results</i>: The isolated triterpenoids were identified as: 2<i>β</i>-hydroxy-3<i>α-O</i>-caffeoyltaraxar-14-en-28-oic acid (<b>1</b>), taraxerol (<b>2</b>), taraxerone (<b>3</b>), betulin (<b>4</b>) and betulinic acid (<b>5</b>). Compound <b>1</b> was the most active dual inhibitor of both AChE and BChE. Compound <b>1</b> also showed good antioxidant activities.</p><p><i>Conclusion</i>: Compound <b>1</b> had dual and moderate inhibitory activity on AChE and BChE worthy for further investigations.</p></div

Determination of Metals in Fruits of Cucurbitaceae Species from South Korea, to Characterize Potential Effects on Human Health

<p>Recent research studies have confirmed that the dietary intake of vegetables and fruits has a positive and profound impact on human health, performance, and disease. This research was designed to determine the concentrations of essential trace elements; cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn), toxic metals; cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb); and a metalloid; arsenic (As) in fruits of seven species of Cucurbitaceae family including gourd, zucchini, pumpkin, sweet pumpkin, melon, watermelon, and oriental melon commonly consumed in South Korea. The concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Se, and Zn were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and Hg by a mercury analyzer. To analyze the samples after microwave digestion for the validation of analytical techniques, satisfactory values of all quality parameters of linearity, detection limits, precision, accuracy, and recovery experiments were obtained in all cases. On the whole, all analyzed elements were found in accordance to the published literature around the world and well within the critical recommended standards by CODEX and Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Korea. The estimated daily intake values, and hazard quotients and indices of the analyzed samples were all below the World Health Organization, Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives, and European Food Safety Authority limits.</p

Identification and quantification of adulteration in <i>Garcinia cambogia</i> commercial products by chromatographic and spectrometric methods

<p>Species of genus <i>Garcinia</i> are rich sources of bioactive constituents with antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and anti-HIV activities. Commercial products of <i>Garcinia cambogia</i> are used as anti-obesity drugs with increasing market demand. Because of the high price of its products, it can be adulterated with similar lower-priced species. This study was designed to develop and validate an accurate and efficient method for the detection of any adulteration (<i>G. indica</i>) in <i>G. cambogia</i> products. For this purpose, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyse the ethanolic fruit rind extracts of <i>G. cambogia</i> and <i>G. indica</i>, their formulations of 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 95% <i>G. indica</i> with <i>G. cambogia</i>, and 11 <i>G. cambogia</i> commercial products. The analytical methods were validated by quality assurance parameters of linearity, sensitivity, precision and accuracy. Two marker peaks were detected in <i>G. indica</i> fruit extract, whereas <i>G. cambogia</i> did not show these peaks. The detected peaks were identified as anthocyanins; cyanidin-3-<i>O</i>-sambubioside and cyanidin-3-<i>O</i>-glucoside. In the study to determine the effect of pH and temperature on the stability of its anthocyanin content, HPLC analysis of <i>G. indica</i> extract showed the highest content at pH 1 and 50°C. Using two different mobile phases, the limits of detection (LOD) for cyanidin-3-<i>O</i>-sambubioside and cyanidin-3-<i>O</i>-glucoside were 0.036 and 0.059, and 0.022 and 0.033 mg kg^–1, respectively. Furthermore, the inter-day precision (< 3.2%) confirmed that the applied analytical method fulfils the required criteria of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). From this study, it was found that the HPLC method used for the detection of adulteration in <i>G. cambogia</i> products is rapid and accurate.</p