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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Diet, Genomics and Immunology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #328791

Title: Components characterization of total tetraploid jiaogulan (Gynostemma pentaphylla) saponin and its cholesterol-lowering properties

Author
item LIU, JIE - Shanghai University
item LI, YANFANG - Shanghai University
item HAIMING, SHI - Shanghai University
item Wang, Thomas - Tom
item Wu, Xianli
item SUN, XIANGJUN - Shanghai University
item YU, LIANGLI - University Of Maryland

Submitted to: Journal of Functional Foods
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2016
Publication Date: 1/11/2016
Citation: Liu, J., Li, Y., Haiming, S., Wang, T.T., Wu, X., Sun, X., Yu, L. 2016. Components characterization of total tetraploid jiaogulan (Gynostemma pentaphylla) saponin and its cholesterol-lowering properties. Journal of Functional Foods. 23: 542-555.

Interpretive Summary: There are several bioactives in the plants. The study examine and characterized chemical structures of tetraploid jiaogulan saponins, and investigated their cholesterol-lowering effects and mechanisms in hamsters fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Jiaogulan is a plant use to make herbal tea in China. Nine saponins, including five reported for the first time, were obtained from total jiaogulan saponins (TJS) and elucidated for their chemical structures according to 2D NMR and HR-MS data. Administration of TJS effectively decreased plasma total cholesterol by 17.4% and 32.6%, triglycerides by 22.8% and 47.7% and LDL-C by 22.0% and 40.2%, respectively. Moreover, supplementation with TJS significantly increased fecal excretion of total cholesterol and bile acids by 43.8% and 64.4%, respectively. TJS significantly up-regulated intestinal mRNA levels of ABCG5/8, LXRa, hepatic mRNA CYP7A1 and ABCG5 in hamsters on HFD. In addition, TJS decreased cholesterol micelle solubility and suppressed cholesterol uptake in cultured Caco-2 cells. Taking together, TJS may reduce plasma cholesterol by increasing fecal cholesterol excretion and through modulation of genes involved in cholesterol absorption and metabolism. The study provides science-based information on bioactivity of plant-derived compounds that can be use by basic and translation scientist who study the biological activity on Jaiogulan and it’s bioactives.

Technical Abstract: This study characterized chemical structures of tetraploid jiaogulan saponins, and investigated their cholesterol-lowering effects and mechanisms in hamsters fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Nine saponins, including five reported for the first time, were obtained from total jiaogulan saponins (TJS) and elucidated for their chemical structures according to 2D NMR and HR-MS data. Administration of TJS effectively decreased plasma total cholesterol by 17.4% and 32.6%, triglycerides by 22.8% and 47.7% and LDL-C by 22.0% and 40.2%, respectively. Moreover, supplementation with TJS significantly increased fecal excretion of total cholesterol and bile acids by 43.8% and 64.4%, respectively. TJS significantly up-regulated intestinal mRNA levels of ABCG5/8, LXRa, hepatic mRNA CYP7A1 and ABCG5 in hamsters on HFD. In addition, TJS decreased cholesterol micelle solubility and suppressed cholesterol uptake in cultured Caco-2 cells. Taking together, TJS may reduce plasma cholesterol by increasing fecal cholesterol excretion and through modulation of genes involved in cholesterol absorption and metabolism.