Phenolic constituents and anticancer properties of Morus alba (white mulberry) leaves.

Leaf biomass from the mulberry plant (genus Morus and family Moraceae) is considered a potential resource for livestock feeding. Mulberry leaves (MLs) contain high protein (14.0-34.2%) and metabolizable energy (1130-2240 kcal/kg) with high dry matter (DM) digestibility (75-85%) and palatability. Flavonoid contents of MLs confer unique antioxidant properties and can potentially help alleviate oxidative stress in animals during stressful periods, such as neonatal, weaning, and periparturient periods. In addition, mulberry leaf flavonoids (MLFs) possess antimicrobial properties and can effectively decrease the population of ruminal methanogens and protozoa to reduce enteric methane (CH4) production. Owing to its rich flavonoid content, feeding MLs increases fiber digestion and utilization leading to enhanced milk production in ruminants. Dietary supplementation with MLFs alters ruminal fermentation kinetics by increasing total volatile fatty acids, propionate, and ammonia concentrations. Furthermore, they can substantially increase the population of specific cellulolytic bacteria in the rumen. Owing to their structural homology with steroid hormones, the MLFs can potentially modulate different metabolic pathways particularly those linked with energy homeostasis. This review aims to highlight the potential of ML and its flavonoids to modulate the ruminal microbiome, fermentation, and metabolic status to enhance productive performance and health in ruminants while reducing CH4 emission.

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/11/2076/pdf

Potential of mulberry leaf biomass and its flavonoids to improve production and health in ruminants: Mechanistic insights and prospects

In Asia, mulberry has long been used to treat various infectious and internal ailments as a traditional medication. The compounds found in it have the potential to improve human health. Because there is no approved and defined evaluation procedure, it has not been formally or scientifically recognized. As a result of these investigations, a new frontier in traditional Chinese medicine has opened up, with the possibility of modernization, for the interaction between active components of mulberry and their biological activities. These studies have used current biotechnological technologies. For ages, mulberry has been used as an herbal remedy in Asia to cure various diseases and internal disorders. It has a high concentration of bioactive chemicals that benefit human health. The most abundant phenolic components extracted from white mulberry leaves are flavonoids (Kuwanons, Moracinflavans, Moragrols, and Morkotins), phenolic acids, alkaloids, and so forth. Flavonoids, benzofurans, chalcones, and alkaloids have been discovered to have cytotoxic effects on human cancer cell lines. There is growing evidence that mulberry fruits can potentially prevent cancer and other aging‐related disorders due to their high concentration of bioactive polyphenolic‐rich compounds and macro and micronutrients. Anthocyanins are rapidly absorbed after eating, arriving in the plasmalemma within 15–50 min and entirely removed after 6–8 hr. Due to a lack of an approved and consistent technique for its examination, it has yet to be formally or scientifically recognized. The mulberry plant is commercially grown for silkworm rearing, and less attention is paid to its bioactive molecules, which have a lot of applications in human health. This review paper discusses the phenolic compounds of white mulberry and black mulberry in detail concerning their role in cancer prevention.

The phenolic components extracted from mulberry fruits as bioactive compounds against cancer: A review

To investigate the optimum harvesting time and utilization of mulberry leaves during different growth periods based on the content of alkaloids and flavonoids, 88 samples of 11 species of mulberry leaves were collected and analyzed. UPLC-TQ/MS method was applied and the results showed that the ingredients of alkaloids and flavonoids in mulberry leaves are quite different in different growth periods and different species. There was a sharp decline of the average content of alkaloids in all samples from October, while the content of flavonoids dropped either from October but with less volatile. The content of flavonoids in M. atropurpurea was much higher than alkaloids, while M. australis was opposite completely. There was a sharp decline of alkaloids in M. cathayana and M. mongolica from Tuly to August, however, the content of alkaloids and flavonoids in M. alba is neither too high nor too low. In summary, it is more suitable to harvest tender mulberry leaves harvested from the end of September to beginning of October that provide a scientific evidence for rational harvest and comprehensive utilization of mulberry leaves.

Dynamic analysis of alkaloids and flavonoids in Genus Morus L. in China during different harvesting time

In order to explore the antimicrobial activity and material basis of mulberry leaves extract,the antibacterial activities of 4 fractions(petroleum ether,ethyl acetate,n-butanol and water)from muberry leaves crude extract were tested using micro-plate dilution assay.And the fraction of the strongest antibacterial activity was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.The results indicated that petroleum ether fraction had the strongest antibacterial activity,followed by ethyl acetate fraction,n-butanol fraction and water fraction.Then,the petroleum ether fraction was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.The result showed that this fraction was rich of phytol(24.87%),cyclo octacosane(18.00%),hexadecanoic acid(10.20%),α-linolenic acid(9.06%),ethyl linolenate(7.92%),and octadecanoic acid(7.14%).In addition,it also contained a small amount of α-tocopherol,β-sitosterol and other components.

Antibacterial activity and component analysis of muberry(Morus alba L.)leaves extract

Background: Both Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China and the ancient Chinese herbal formulas recorded that mulberry leaves collected after frost had good quality. However, the reason has not yet been fully elucidated. Objective: We investigated the effect of frost on the accumulation of flavonoids and antioxidant activities of mulberry leaves. Materials and Methods: Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography were used to analyze chemical components and determine the content of five flavonol glycosides from mulberry leaves collected before and after frost, respectively. Antioxidant activities of the same mulberry leaves were evaluated by total antioxidant capacity (TAC), Fe2+ equivalent (FeE), reducing power (RP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay, and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) free radical scavenging assay. Results: Ten compounds were identified as flavonol glycosides exception of chlorogenic acid. Quantitative analysis showed that content of isoquercitrin, astragalin, and kaempferol-3-O-(6''-acetyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside reached a maximum of 3.05 mg/g, 0.70 mg/g, and 0.69 mg/g after Frost's Descent, respectively. Moreover, the lowest value of flavonol glycosides appeared in August. The antioxidant activities were also found to have the same tendency. The maximum value of TAC, FeE, RP, DPPH and ABTS were 64.3 rutin equivalent (RE) mg/g, 46.2 RE mg/g, 31.3 RE mg/g, 22.5 RE mg/g and 26.7 RE mg/g, respectively, in November. They were 1.4 times, 1.4 times, 1.6 times, 1.6 times, and 1.9 times of the minimum values, respectively, in August. There was a significantly and positively correlation between antioxidant activities and content of flavonol glycosides (P

Fan Xiaoman

Papers

Effect of frost on flavonol glycosides accumulation and antioxidant activities of mulberry (Morus alba L.) leaves