微生物肥料对西红花生长及代谢物的影响

在大田条件下,研究了重茬净、微生物菌剂、锦能菌宝、自制活性生物肥料4种不同微生物肥料对西红花产量、代谢物和根际微生物生态的影响。结果表明,与对照组相比,施用微生物肥料后,根际土壤中好酸性的细菌呈减少趋势,而嗜中性或碱性的细菌呈增加趋势,4种微生物肥料均能提高西红花有效球比例,表明增施微生物肥料具有缓解西红花连作障碍的功效。同时,增施重茬净、微生物菌剂、锦能菌宝和自制活性生物肥料分别引起2,3,3和13种代谢物含量上调和2,3,2和4种代谢物含量下调。     

Phytochemical Differentiation of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) by High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Metabolomic Studies

The metabolite profiling of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) from several countries was measured by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography combined with high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HR MS). Multivariate statistical analysis was employed to distinguish among the several samples of C. sativus L. from Greece, Italy, Morocco, Iran, India, Afghanistan and Kashmir. The results of this study showed that the phytochemical content in the samples of C. sativus L. were obviously diverse in the different countries of origin. The metabolomics approach was deemed to be the most suitable in order to evaluate the enormous array of putative metabolites among the saffron samples studied, and was able to provide a comparative phytochemical screening of these samples. Several markers have been identified that aided the differentiation of a group from its counterparts. This can be important for the selection of the appropriate saffron sample, in view of its health-promoting effect which occurs through the modulation of various biological and physiological processes.     

高通量高效液相色谱法快速检测西红花中15种非法添加色素

建立高通量的高效液相色谱法同时检测15种西红花中非法添加色素,对于阳性样品采用液相色谱–质谱联用法确证。采用Poroshell 120 EC–C18色谱柱(100 mm×4.6 mm,2.7 μm)分离,以甲醇–0.02 mol/L乙酸铵溶液(用氨水调pH至5.9±0.05)进行梯度洗脱,流量为1.2 mL/min,柱温为35 ℃,以450 nm和500 nm双波长检测。缓冲盐pH值和流动相流量对色谱条件影响大,需严格控制。该方法重现性好,各物质分离度均大于1.5,标准曲线的线性相关系数r为0.998~1.000,样品高、中、低浓度的加标回收率为70.1%~93.1%,测定结果的相对标准偏差为1.2%~6.6%(n=6),检出限为0.01~0.05 mg/kg。该方法精密度良好,分析时间短,分析结果稳定,可用于中药材西红花中15种非法添加色素的快速筛查和含量测定,同时能为相关部门制定监督抽检中药材染色掺伪的补充检验方法。     

微生物肥料对西红花生长及代谢物的影响

在大田条件下,研究了重茬净、微生物菌剂、锦能菌宝、自制活性生物肥料4种不同微生物肥料对西红花产量、代谢物和根际微生物生态的影响。结果表明,与对照组相比,施用微生物肥料后,根际土壤中好酸性的细菌呈减少趋势,而嗜中性或碱性的细菌呈增加趋势,4种微生物肥料均能提高西红花有效球比例,表明增施微生物肥料具有缓解西红花连作障碍的功效。同时,增施重茬净、微生物菌剂、锦能菌宝和自制活性生物肥料分别引起2,3,3和13种代谢物含量上调和2,3,2和4种代谢物含量下调。     

Effect of ultrasonic waves on crocin and safranal content and expression of their controlling genes in suspension culture of saffron (Crocus sativus L.)

The expression of biosynthesis controlling genes of crocin and safranal in saffron (Crocus sativus) can be influenced by ultrasonic waves. Sterilized saffron corms were cultured in a ½-MS medium supplemented by 2-4-D and BAP. Saffron callus cells were treated with ultrasonic waves in a cellular suspension culture under optimal growth conditions. The samples were collected at 24 and 72 hours after treatment in three replications. The secondary metabolites were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and the gene expression was analysed by the real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results indicate that this elicitor can influence the expressions of genes CsBCH, CsLYC and CsGT-2; the ultrasonic waves acted as an effective mechanical stimulus to the suspension cultures. The analysis of variance of the ultrasonically produced amounts of safranal and crocin indicates that there is a significant difference between once- and twice-treated samples in that the amount of safranal was the highest within the samples taken from the twice-treated suspension culture at 72 h after the ultrasound treatment, and the crocin was maximised after 24 h passed the twice-applied ultrasound treatment.     

Pharmacological Potential and Chemical Composition of Crocus sativus Leaf Extracts

Crocus sativus L. (saffron) has been traditionally used as a food coloring or flavoring agent, but recent research has shown its potent pharmacological activity to tackle several health-related conditions. Crocus sp. leaves, and petals are the by-products of saffron production and are not usually used in the medicine or food industries. The present study was designed to determine the chemical composition of the water and ethanolic extracts of C. sativus leaves and test their cytotoxic activity against melanoma (IGR39) and triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cell lines by MTT assay. We also determined their anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral activities. HPLC fingerprint analysis showed the presence of 16 compounds, including hydroxycinnamic acids, xanthones, flavonoids, and isoflavonoids, which could contribute to the extracts’ biological activities. For the first time, compounds such as tectoridin, iristectorigenin B, nigricin, and irigenin were identified in Crocus leaf extracts. The results showed that mangiferin (up to 2 mg/g dry weight) and isoorientin (8.5 mg/g dry weight) were the major active ingredients in the leaf extracts. The ethanolic extract reduced the viability of IGR39 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells with EC₅₀ = 410 ± 100 and 330 ± 40 µg/mL, respectively. It was more active than the aqueous extract. Kaempferol and quercetin were identified as the most active compounds. Our results showed that Crocus leaves contain secondary metabolites with potent cytotoxic and antioxidant activities.     

Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activity of the Ethanolic Extract from the Aerial Part of Crocus alatavicus Regel & Semen Growing Wildly in Southern Kazakhstan

The composition of the ethanolic extract from the aerial parts of Crocus alatavicus Regel & Semen from southern Kazakhstan spontaneous flora was analyzed together with the determination of its antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anticancer activity. The phytochemical profile analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS) revealed the presence of multiple kaempferol derivatives. High-performance reverse-phase liquid chromatography combined with a photodiode-array detection (RP-HPLC/PDA) found that kaempferol 3-O-dihexoside and kaempferol 3-O-acyltetrahexoside accounted for 70.5% of the kaempferol derivatives. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the extract for all the tested reference microorganisms were high, reaching 10 mg/mL for yeasts and 20 mg/mL for bacteria. In contrast, antiviral activity was observed at 2 mg/mL, resulting in the inhibition of the HSV-1-induced cytopathic effect and the reduction in virus infectious titer by 1.96 log, as well as the viral load by 0.85 log. Among the tested prostate cancer cell lines, significant cytotoxic activity of the extract was noted only on the LNCaP cell line, with an IC₅₀ value of 1.95 mg/mL. The LNCaP cell line treated with 2 mg/mL of the extract showed a noticeably reduced number of spindle-shaped cells with longer cellular projections, a significant increase in the peak corresponding to the population of apoptotic cells in the sub-G1 phase and a decreased intracellular glutathione (GSH) level, suggesting the prooxidative properties of the extract. The obtained data provide novel information about the flavonoids present in the aerial part of C. alatavicus and suggest its potential application as a source of the compounds active against HSV-1 and metastatic, androgen-sensitive prostate cancer.     

Flavonoid Composition and Antibacterial Properties of Crocus sativus L. Petal Extracts

Saffron petals, which are the main by-products of Crocus sativus L. (Iridaceae family), are produced in large quantities and are known for their many beneficial properties. In this regard, this study aims to investigate the phenolic composition and antibacterial properties of hydroethanolic extracts from Crocus sativus L. petals collected from Serghina (province of Boulmane) in Morocco. The phenolic profiles were characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a photodiode array and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-ESI/MS). The antibacterial potential was evaluated against four bacterial strains potentially causing food-borne disease (Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes) using disc diffusion and broth micro-dilution assays. Results showed that a total of 27 phenolic compounds was detected in the Crocus sativus L. petal extracts, which were assigned to flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin, isorhamnetin, and myricetin derivatives). The most abundant compound was represented by kaempferol-sophoroside isomer (20.82 mg/g ± 0.152), followed by kaempferol-sophoroside-hexoside (2.63 mg/g ± 0.001). The hydroethanolic extracts of Crocus sativus L. petals demonstrated bactericidal effects against Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocetogenes and bacteriostatic effects against Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Therefore, the by-product Crocus sativus L. petal extracts might be considered as valuable sources of natural antibacterial agents with potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries.     

Determination of Saffron Volatiles by HS-SBSE-GC in Flavored Cured Ham

At present, the development of new agri-food products, including flavored meat products presented in ready-to-eat vacuum packs, is encouraged. The addition of ingredients used as flavoring agents creates the need to be able to determine the volatile compounds responsible for their characteristic aroma. The aim of this study is to propose, develop, and validate a new method that uses headspace-stir bar sorptive extraction-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-SBSE-GC/MS) to determine the saffron aroma in cured ham flavored with this spice. Results showed that safranal was the main volatile compound that could be identified and quantified in cured ham flavored with saffron. This analytical method was adequate in terms of linearity, selectivity, sensitivity, and accuracy. To our knowledge, this is the first time that an HS-SBSE-GC/MS method for determining the saffron aroma of flavored cured ham has been developed and validated, and it is of interest to agri-food industries.     

In‐chain neutral hydrocarbon loss from crocin apocarotenoid ester glycosides and the crocetin aglycon (Crocus sativus L.) by ESI‐MSn (n = 2, 3)

The stigmas of Crocus sativus L. have been used as spice and colorant agent (i.e. saffron) for more than 4000 years. For an updated structural investigation of the aglycon present in the glycosylated crocetin apocarotenoids (i.e. crocins), seven representative derivatives ranging from one up to five glucosyl‐residues with a maximum number of three monosaccharides per glycosylation site (glucose, gentiobiose, gentiotriose and neapolitanose) were isolated and purified by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The compounds selected for further mass spectrometric investigation include glucosyl‐, bis‐glucosyl‐, gentiobiosyl‐, gentiobiosyl‐glucosyl‐, bis‐gentiobiosyl‐, gentiobiosyl‐gentiotriosyl‐ and gentiobiosyl‐neapolitanosyl‐crocetin. Electrospray ionization in combination with low‐energy collision‐induced dissociation/tandem mass spectrometry of sodiated crocin precursor ions utilizing either a 3D‐ion trap (MSⁿ, n = 2, 3) or a QqTOF instrument, with the latter providing accurate mass determination with an accuracy of ±1–3 ppm or better at a resolution of 10 000 (full width at half maximum), was used. Major fragmentation pathways included loss of either one or two carbohydrate substituents leading to the sodiated aglycon without interglycosidic bond cleavage during in MS²‐experiments. All sodiated precursor ions and major product ions were accompanied by a loss of 92 Da, which was elucidated as C₇H₈‐loss from the aglycon by skeletal rearrangement via an eight‐membered transition state as previously described for intact C₄₀‐carotenoids. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.