Identification of Six Phytochemical Compounds from Asparagus officinalis L. Root Cultivars from New Zealand and China Using UAE-SPE-UPLC-MS/MS: Effects of Extracts on H2O2-Induced Oxidative Stress

Abstract

A simple, rapid, specific, and sensitive method was developed for the simultaneous identification and quantification of six major bioactive compounds, namely, caffeic acid, quercetin, apigenin, ferulic acid, baicalein, and kaempferol, from Asparagus officinalis roots (ARs) native to New Zealand (green and purple cultivars) and China (yellow, green, purple, and white cultivars) using ultrasound-assisted, solid-phase extraction (UASE-SPE) coupled with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The method was validated in terms of linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), accuracy (expressed as recovery %), and precision (expressed as relative standard deviation (%RSD)). The retention times, ultraviolet visible (UV-vis) data, and mass spectral patterns of the detected peaks matched those of commercial standards, allowing characterization of the target compounds. The LODs and LOQs were 23 ng/mL and 70 ng/mL, 50 ng/mL and 150 ng/mL, 10 ng/mL and 30 ng/mL, 18 ng/mL and 54 ng/mL, 14.4 ng/mL and 43.6 ng/mL, and 7.5 ng/mL and 22.5 ng/mL for caffeic acid, quercetin, apigenin, ferulic acid, baicalein, and kaempferol, respectively, and the mean recovery rates were 85.8%, 73.0%, 90.2%, 80.6%, 76.7%, and 74.5% for the six compounds, respectively. The levels of the target compounds were significantly different (p < 0.05) among the six cultivars. The Chinese yellow AR had the highest levels of bioactive compounds: 6.0, 3.9, 0.4, 1.0, 0.86, and 0.8 mg/g for caffeic acid, quercetin, apigenin, ferulic acid, baicalein, and kaempferol, respectively. The AR extracts showed protective effects against oxidative stress in the HepG2 and L929 cell lines. The results indicate that AR extracts contain high flavonoid levels that provide protective functions against oxidative stress and support the potential commercial application of AR extracts.

Effect of Caesalpinia bonduc Polyphenol Extract on Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats in Attenuating Hyperglycemia by Upregulating Insulin Secretion and Inhibiting JNK Signaling Pathway

“…The oxidative stress induces downregulation of different genes involved in insulin secretion from the pancreas leading to hyperglycemia. However, a small amount of ROS produced under normal physiological conditions plays an important role in different biological processes [60]. Hence, the concept of oxidative stress may offer a unique therapeutic option for…”

Solvent polarity mediates phytochemical yield and antioxidant capacity of Isatis tinctoria

“…Solvent type and polarity can affect the extract quality, quantity, extraction velocity, inhibitory compounds, toxicity, other biological activity, and biosafety (Eloff, 1998; Zhang et al, 2019). The total secondary metabolites and their antioxidant capacity greatly depend on the solvent and plant part used for extraction (Rafińska et al, 2019).…”

Tissue-specific signatures of metabolites and proteins in asparagus roots and exudates

“…PCAs and Student's t-tests were created or calculated with MetaboScape 4.0 (Bruker Daltonik). For t-tests, zeros were replaced with the smallest intensity value (20) in the data set. Venn diagrams were created using only compounds that were detected in two of the three experiments replicate samples from the specific root fractions 56 .…”

“…Here we describe an integrative approach to define tissue-specific resolution in the metabolome and proteome of storage roots. Until now, root metabolite profiling of asparagus focused on selected metabolite classes, such as saponins [15][16][17] , fructans 18,19 , and flavonoids 20 . Asparagus storage roots consist of an epidermis and a suberized exodermis, the cortex, and the endodermis-surrounded stele 21 .…”