Objective:To elucidate the anti-melanogenic potential of Carex pumila Thunb.extract(FBCC-EP850).Methods:A collection of 180 plant extracts was tested for inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase activity using an in vitro assay.Among them,FBCC-EP850 exhibited the most promising inhibitory activity.Further analysis was conducted to investigate its mechanisms and therapeutic potential in reducing melanogenesis in B16F10 melanoma cells and zebrafish larvae.Results:FBCC-EP850 inhibited mushroom tyrosinase activity in a dose-dependent manner,with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 45.83μg/mL.FBCC-EP850 at concentrations up to 50μg/mL demonstrated minimal cytotoxicity against B16F10 melanoma cells and no adverse effects on zebrafish larvae.Treatment with 50μg/mL of FBCC-EP850 significantly reducedα-melanocyte stimulating hormone-induced melanin production and suppressed cellular tyrosinase activity in B16F10 melanoma cells.Additionally,FBCC-EP850 at 25 and 50μg/mL effectively diminished hyperpigmentation inα-melanocyte stimulating hormone-stimulated zebrafish larvae.Its anti-melanogenic action could be attributed to modulation of the cAMP-CREB-MITF signaling pathway.Conclusions:Carex pumila extract can inhibit melanogenesis by modulating the cAMP-CREB-MITF signaling pathway,which can be used as a promising candidate for treating hyperpigmentation disorders.
Mirissa Hewage Dumindu KavindaJinkuk ParkNayeong KimYung Hyun ChoiGi-Young Kim
The analysis of chloroplast gene characteristics in Alpinia japonica(Thunb.)Miq.is of great significance for developing relevant genetic resources.The high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic research were performed to analyze the chloroplast genome characteristics of A.japonica.The total chloroplast genome length of A.japonica was 161,906 bp,with a typical circular tetrameric structure.And 133 genes were annotated,comprising 87 protein-coding,38 tRNA,and 8 rRNA genes.Furthermore,22 genes contained two copies,and 18 genes owned introns.Repeat sequence analysis showed that it contains 321 simple sequence repeats(SSRs)and 37 long segment repeats.Compared with the chloroplast genomes of eight representative plants in the genus Alpinia,the gene structure,type,and quantity were relatively conservative.Rps12 was the highest variation site in the entire chloroplast gene.A phylogenetic tree showed that the genus Alpinia was the most closely related to the genus Amomum.Meanwhile,A.japonica is the most closely related to Alpinia chinensis belonging to the genus Alpinia.Overall,the chloroplast genome of a new species was reported in the genus Alpinia,and a basis was provided for the utilization of Alpinia plants as a medical resource.
Background:Pleuropterus multiflorum Thunb.cv.“Heshouwu”(HSW)has been used as a classical material for both medicine and food in China for millennia.Recently,the cultivation region of HSW has shifted from Guangdong to Sichuan,Guizhou,and other regions.The investigation of geographic variation in bioactive metabolite contents and their relationship with soil mineral elements holds academic significance.Objective:This study aimed to investigate the variations in the distribution of active components in HSWacross diverse planting regions and their relationship with soil mineral elements.Methods:A reliable quantitative analysis based on ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry(UPLC-QQQ-MS)was developed to assess the levels of 15 bioactivemetabolites in 60 HSWsamples collected from 4 distinct regions.A total of 43 soil mineral elements in corresponding 60 soil samples were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS).Orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA),heatmap analysis,Pearson correlation analysis,and random forest(RF)regression were conducted based on the above quantitative data.Results:The content of stilbene glycosides displayed a wider range of variation compared with emodin and physcion among different regions.Eight compounds were screened as the differential metabolites in HSW samples from various sources using the supervised OPLS-DA analysis.Among these,2 important functional compounds including physcion and 2,3,5,4′-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-(6″-O-acetyl)-glucoside(THSG-5)are the most abundant inHSWsamples from Deqing,a geographical indicative production region.Pearson correlation analysis indicated that the impact of soil mineral elements on the levels of stilbene glycosides is greater compared to that on anthraquinones.A negative correlation was observed between the levels of elements Na,Zn,Ba,Ti,and 2,3,5,4′-tetrahydroxysilbene 2-O-glucoside(THSG-1).Conversely,a positive correlation was found between the co