In order to develop natural plant-derived hypoglycemic agents for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, an extract rich in flavonoids with a brownish-yellow color was obtained from the leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus, a medicinal and edible plant, by sequential refluxing ethanol extraction and polyamide column chromatography. In the extract, 17 flavonoids were identified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS). Meanwhile, the flavonoid-rich extract and the standards of its three representative flavonoid components were evaluated for their ameliorative effect on insulin resistance. A HepG2 cell model of insulin resistance was established under optimized conditions (4.5 g/L glucose, 0.001 μmol/L insulin, 3.5 μmol/L dexamethasone, and 24 induction), which was stable for 48 h and could be treated with metformin, an oral hypoglycemic agent. The flavonoid-rich extract as well as hyperoside and scutellarin at a concentration of 10^-2 mg/mL and kaempferol at 10^-4 mg/mL were the most effective in ameliorating insulin resistance. Furthermore, we found that the mechanism for the ameliorative effect of flavonoids from Cyclocarya paliurus leaves on insulin resistance may be by alleviating glycogen metabolism disorders and increasing oxidative stress in the insulin resistance model.

A non-targeted metabolomics method for identifying the quality of Gougunao tea, Lu Mountain Clouds-Mist tea, and Wuyuan green tea was established by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS). The original data were screened by MassHunter Mass Profile, and 220 characteristic differential metabolites were obtained. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) showed that there was a clear discrimination among the three teas. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to establish a prediction model for identifying the quality of tea with an accuracy of 100%. Meanwhile, of the 220 characteristic differential metabolites, 22 were identified, mainly including flavonoids, glycoside derivatives and organic acids. Through heatmap analysis, it was found that their contents were significantly different among tea samples. This study is meaningful for guiding tea quality identification, which can be widely used in food analysis and characterization.

Using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS), we separated and identified 148 non-volatile organic compounds including flavonoids, organic acids and amino acids in navel orange pulp in 37 min. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the pulp of navel oranges from four major production regions in southern Jiangxi Province, Ruijin, Xinfeng, Anyuan and Nankang were detected by headspace solid phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). In total, 97 VOCs were identified including esters, alcohols, aldehydes and terpenes. The results of this study provide detailed data for further research on chemical substances in the pulp of Gannan navel oranges.

The prevalence of ulcerative colitis (UC) is increasing annually, while current non-targeted drugs for UC have limited effectiveness, easily relapsed, and serious side effects. Herein, curcumin (Cur)-loaded nanoparticle with conlon-targeted property based on Mesona chinensis polysaccharides (MCP) was developed for the synergistic and targeted improvement of UC. Results show that MCP-zein nanoparticles (ZmNPs) have good encapsulation of Cur, targeted delivery of Cur to the colon, and prolonged its retention time. In vivo safety assessments have shown that ZmNPs have good safety and biocompatibility. As expected, Cur-ZmNPs effectively alleviated the symptoms of Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC by decreasing colonic inflammation by inhibiting the TLR4/MAPK pathway, regulating the levels of oxidative stress and immune homeostasis of UC mice. Oral administration of Cur-ZmNPs can reduce apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells, alleviate colonic mucosal damage and repair intestinal barrier function. Cur-ZmNPs also had a positive effect on improving gut microbiota disorders and promoting the production of SCFAs. This study provides a novel strategy for synergistic alleviation of UC by MCP-based NPs loaded with food bioactives.

Cyclocarya paliurus (Batalin) Iljinskaja, as a unique and rare monocotyledonous plant in Southern China, is a promising and economical Chinese herbal medicine and functional food. People have conducted a number of research on C. paliurus because of its rich triterpenoids. However, no comprehensive review has illustrated the composition and pharmacological activity of triterpenoids from C. paliurus. This review summarizes 177 triterpenoids from different parts of C. paliurus. The structures of compounds were elucidated, and their biosynthesis was inferred. The biological activities of compounds and triterpenoid-rich extracts, including anti-diabetes, antihyperlipidemia, anti-inflammatory, anticancer or cytotoxicity, antioxidation, etc., were discussed. C. paliurus can be an important and valuable supplement to the food market. This review provides a reference for the further research and application of C. paliurus triterpenoids in the fields of foods and pharmaceuticals.