Ganoderma lingzhi (G. lingzhi), G. sinense, G. applanatum, etc. belongs to the Ganoderma genus of polypore mushrooms which contain rich polysaccharides valuable for nutrition and positive medicinal effects. In order to evaluate polysaccharide content in Ganoderma mycelia obtained in the fermentation process quickly and accurately, in this work we employed infrared spectroscopy to examine different Ganoderma stains of samples from diversified sources. Through mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy, we could identify the most relevant spectral bands required for polysaccharide evaluation, and through near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, we could establish the quantification model for making satisfactory prediction of polysaccharide ingredient content. As such, we have achieved an effective and convenient approach to quantitative assessment of the total polysaccharides in Ganoderma mycelia but also demonstrated that infrared spectroscopy can be a powerful tool for quality control of Ganoderma polysaccharides obtained from industrial production.

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Assessment of Polysaccharides from Mycelia of genus Ganoderma by Mid-Infrared and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Analytical methods in food additives determination: Compounds with functional applications.

Iridoids are a class of active compounds that widely exist in the plant kingdom. In recent years, with advances in phytochemical research, many compounds with novel structure and outstanding activity have been identified. Iridoid compounds have been confirmed to mainly exist as the prototype and aglycone and Ι and II metabolites, by biological transformation. These metabolites have been shown to have neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic activities. This review summarizes the new structures and activities of iridoids identified locally and globally, and explains their pharmacokinetics from the aspects of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion according to the differences in their structures, thus providing a theoretical basis for further rational development and utilization of iridoids and their metabolites.

https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/2/287/pdf

Iridoids: Research Advances in Their Phytochemistry, Biological Activities, and Pharmacokinetics.

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2016/np/c6np00059b

Diterpenoids of terrestrial origin

MPD3: a useful medicinal plants database for drug designing

Ligustri Lucidi Fructus as a traditional Chinese medicine: a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology

Fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy (FT-MIR) combined with chemometrics for quantitative analysis of dextrin in Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) granule.

A new cassane diterpenoid from the seeds of Caesalpinia decapetala

Ligustri lucidi fructus (LLF) is the fruit of Ligustrum lucidum W.T. Aiton which belongs to the Oleaceae family [1]. As a top grade tonic in traditional Chinese medicine, LLF has been used for two thousand years in China. Chemical constituents of different classes, such as triterpenoids, iridoids, flavones, phenolic glucosides, and other components, have been reported from LLF. These characteristic and active constituents are responsible for the pharmacological effects of LLF, e.g., antitumor, hepatoprotective, immune regulating, antioxidative, antiaging, and anti-inflammatory, as well as its ability to reduce hypercholesterolemia, etc. [2]. However, many of the studies were conducted using poorly characterized crude extracts, and there is only one study on the bioactivity-guided isolation of antiosteoporotic compounds from LLF [3]. It is also difficult to reproduce the results of these studies and pinpoint the bioactive compounds. The antioxidative properties of LLF have been reported previously, but the antioxidative compounds in LLF are still poorly understood. Hence, there is a need for chemical standardization and bioactivity-guided identification of the antioxidative compounds. In this work, an activity-guided phytochemical analysis was performed using the 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay in order to isolate the antioxidative compounds, which yielded six known compounds identified as oleuropeinic acid (1), isonuezhenide (2), luteolin 7-O-D-glucopyranoside (3), acteoside (4), 10-hydroxyoleuropein (5), and specnuezhenide (6). Compounds 3 and 5 were isolated for the first time from LLF. This is the first study on the bioactivity-guided isolation of the antioxidative compounds from this species, and it provides an accurate profile of the composition of the bioactive compounds responsible for the antioxidative properties. Our bioactivity-directed isolation procedure led for the first time to the identification of six compounds from LLF. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their antioxidant activity in the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay using a modified established protocol (Table 1) [4, 5]. The assay was done in comparison to ascorbic acid (IC50 = 2.45 g/mL) which was taken as positive control.

Bioactivity-Guided Fractionation of Antioxidative Constituents of Ligustrum lucidum

Sulfur fumigation and blanching have been commonly used to process dry lily bulbs. However, they have several disadvantages; in particular, the former involves health and environmental risks. This study focuses on identifying the processing methods used in dry lily products by mid-infrared spectroscopy. The peak near 1029 cm−1 was red-shifted by 3–6 cm−1, and the intensity of the peak at 1153 cm−1 increased significantly when the lilies were blanched. Furthermore, differences in the processing methods were observed in second derivative infrared spectra. The small shoulder from 1019.0 to 1016.3 cm−1 disappeared after blanching, and the peak shapes from 1030 to 980 cm−1 varied for blanched and unblanched materials. Moreover, the ratio of peak area and peak height at 822 and 667 cm−1 significantly increased following sulfur fumigation. The results show that infrared spectroscopy allows characterization of the processing of dry lily bulbs.

Liang-Liang Gao

Papers

Ligustri Lucidi Fructus as a traditional Chinese medicine: a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology

Fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy (FT-MIR) combined with chemometrics for quantitative analysis of dextrin in Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) granule.

A new cassane diterpenoid from the seeds of Caesalpinia decapetala

Bioactivity-Guided Fractionation of Antioxidative Constituents of Ligustrum lucidum

Characterization of the Processing of Dry Lily (Lilium davidii Duch.) Bulbs by Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy