Identification of chemical compositions in ethnic Cinnamomum chago kernels based on UPLC-MS/MS analysis and their potential antioxidant and cytoprotective activities

In the ethnic regions of Yunnan province, China, Cinnamomum chago is recognized as a nutraceutical food that possesses significant economic, ecological, and medicinal value. Although studies have highlighted the seeds of C. chago with high content in polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins, the studies of components and biological activities of C. chago are under investigated. To explore the functional components hidden in the edible and medical plant C. chago, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and feature-based molecular networking (FBMN) strategies were applied to investigate the antioxidant components in C. chago. A total of 104 compounds including 43 lipids, 21 phenols, 20 alkaloids, 10 amino acids, 6 organic acids and 4 terpenoids were identified by MS/MS analysis for the first time. It is noteworthy that there are 4 previously undescribed lipids were characterized. The n-butanol fraction (n-BuF) of C. chago extracts exhibited the strongest antioxidant capacity in radical-scavenging assays. Namely, the n-BuF effectively mitigated oxidative stress in H₂O₂-induced HepG2 cells by significantly reducing intracellular ROS levels and apoptosis via the Nrf2/NQO1 pathway. The results highlighted that the kernels of C. chago hold great potential as a source for developing functional and nutritional foods.