Methoxyeugenol

Biomarkers of intake for tropical fruits.[Pubmed:32560627]

Genes Nutr. 2020 Jun 19;15(1):11.

Consumption of fruit and vegetable is a key component of a healthy and sustainable diet. However, their accurate dietary assessment remains a challenge. Due to errors in self-reporting methods, the available dietary information is usually biased. Biomarkers of intake constitute objective tools to better reflect the usual or recent consumption of different foods, including fruits and vegetables. Partners of The Food Biomarker Alliance (FoodBall) Project have undertaken the task of reviewing the available literature on putative biomarkers of tropical fruit intake. The identified candidate biomarkers were subject to validation evaluation using eight biological and chemical criteria. This publication presents the current knowledge on intake biomarkers for 17 tropical fruits including banana, mango, and avocado as the most widely consumed ones. Candidate biomarkers were found only for banana, avocado, and watermelon. An array of banana-derived metabolites has been reported in human biofluids, among which 5-hydroxyindole-acetic acid, dopamine sulfate, Methoxyeugenol glucuronide, salsolinol sulfate, 6-hydroxy-1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline-sulfate, and other catecholamine metabolites. Their validation is still at an early stage, with insufficient data on dose-response relationship. Perseitol and mannoheptulose have recently been reported as candidate biomarkers for avocado intake, while the amino acid citrulline has been associated with watermelon intake. Additionally, the examination of food composition data revealed some highly specific phytochemicals, which metabolites after absorption may be further studied as putative BFI for one or several tropical fruits. To make the field move forward, untargeted metabolomics, as a data-driven explorative approach, will have to be applied in both intervention and observational studies to discover putative BFIs, while their full validation and the establishment of dose-response calibration curves will require quantification methods at a later stage.

Discovery and Validation of Banana Intake Biomarkers Using Untargeted Metabolomics in Human Intervention and Cross-sectional Studies.[Pubmed:31240312]

J Nutr. 2019 Oct 1;149(10):1701-1713.

BACKGROUND: Banana is one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world. However, information regarding its health effects is scarce. Biomarkers of banana intake would allow a more accurate assessment of its consumption in nutrition studies. OBJECTIVES: Using an untargeted metabolomics approach, we aimed to identify the banana-derived metabolites present in urine after consumption, including new candidate biomarkers of banana intake. METHODS: A randomized controlled study with a crossover design was performed on 12 healthy subjects (6 men, 6 women, mean +/- SD age: 30.0 +/- 4.9 y; mean +/- SD BMI: 22.5 +/- 2.3 kg/m2). Subjects underwent 2 dietary interventions: 1) 250 mL control drink (Fresubin 2 kcal fiber, neutral flavor; Fresenius Kabi), and 2) 240 g banana + 150 mL control drink. Twenty-four-hour urine samples were collected and analyzed with ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a quadrupole time-of-flight MS and 2-dimensional GC-MS. The discovered biomarkers were confirmed in a cross-sectional study [KarMeN (Karlsruhe Metabolomics and Nutrition study)] in which 78 subjects (mean BMI: 22.8; mean age: 47 y) were selected reflecting high intake (126-378 g/d), low intake (47.3-94.5 g/d), and nonconsumption of banana. The confirmed biomarkers were examined singly or in combinations, for established criteria of validation for biomarkers of food intake. RESULTS: We identified 33 potentially bioactive banana metabolites, of which 5 metabolites, Methoxyeugenol glucuronide (MEUG-GLUC), dopamine sulfate (DOP-S), salsolinol sulfate, xanthurenic acid, and 6-hydroxy-1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline sulfate, were confirmed as candidate intake biomarkers. We demonstrated that the combination of MEUG-GLUC and DOP-S performed best in predicting banana intake in high (AUCtest = 0.92) and low (AUCtest = 0.87) consumers. The new biomarkers met key criteria establishing their current applicability in nutrition and health research for assessing the occurrence of banana intake. CONCLUSIONS: Our metabolomics study in healthy men and women revealed new putative bioactive metabolites of banana and a combined biomarker of intake. These findings will help to better decipher the health effects of banana in future focused studies. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03581955 and with the Ethical Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects Sud-Est 6 as CPP AU 1251, IDRCB 2016-A0013-48; the KarMeN study was registered with the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00004890). Details about the study can be obtained from https://www.drks.de.

Effects of four types of dilute acid washing on moso bamboo pyrolysis using Py-GC/MS.[Pubmed:25755014]

Bioresour Technol. 2015 Jun;185:62-9.

The influences of four types of dilute acid washing (H2SO4, HCl, HF, HNO3) on moso bamboo pyrolysis were investigated via pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The effects of acid washings on the inorganics contents and the chemical structure were also analyzed. The results indicated that all the acid washings could effectively remove a large portion of inorganics and disrupt the chemical structure to a certain extent. HCl-washing behaved the best in removing inorganics and had the most marked disruption effect on bamboo structure. Acid washings promoted the bamboo pyrolysis and increased the contents of both phenols and sugars. HCl-washing had the most significant promotion effect on the levoglucosan formation with the absolute peak area increasing from 8.12x10(8) to 1.92x10(9). The absolute peak areas of 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran decreased more or less after acid washings. All the acid washings except H2SO4-washing could significantly increase the absolute peak area of Methoxyeugenol.

Bioactivity of natural O-prenylated phenylpropenes from Illicium anisatum leaves and their derivatives against spider mites and fungal pathogens.[Pubmed:23889818]

Plant Biol (Stuttg). 2014 Mar;16(2):451-6.

A variety of volatile phenylpropenes, C6-C3 compounds are widely distributed in the plant kingdom, whereas prenylated phenylpropenes are limited to a few plant species. In this study, we analysed the volatile profiles from Illicium anisatum leaves and identified two O-prenylated phenylpropenes, 4-allyl-2-methoxy-1-[(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)oxy]benzene [O-dimethylallyleugenol (9)] and 5-allyl-1,3-dimethoxy-2-(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)oxy]benzene [O-dimethylallyl-6-Methoxyeugenol (11)] as major constituents. The structure-activity relationship of a series of eugenol derivatives showed that specific phenylpropenes, including eugenol (1), isoeugenol (2) and 6-Methoxyeugenol (6), with a phenolic hydroxy group had antifungal activity for a fungal pathogen, whereas guaiacol, a simple phenolic compound, and allylbenzene had no such activity. The eugenol derivatives that exhibited antifungal activity, in turn, had no significant toxicant property for mite oviposition. Interestingly, O-dimethylallyleugenol (9) in which the phenolic oxygen was masked with a dimethylallyl group exhibited a specific, potent oviposition deterrent activity for mites. The sharp contrast in structural requirements of phenylpropenes suggested distinct mechanisms underlying the two biological activities and the importance of a phenolic hydroxy group and its dimethylallylation for the structure-based design of new functional properties of phenylpropenes.

Brazilian red propolis: unreported substances, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.[Pubmed:21590778]

J Sci Food Agric. 2011 Oct;91(13):2363-70.

BACKGROUND: Chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of a sample of red propolis from the state of Alagoas (northeast Brazil) were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were also obtained. RESULTS: The propolis sample contained low content of narigenin-8-C-hexoside, this being the first report of a C-glycoside in propolis. The main constituent found was characterized as 3,4,2',3'-tetrahydroxychalcone. Other important constituents were the chalcone isoliquiritigenin, the isoflavans (3S)-vestitol, (3S)-7-O-methylvestitol, the pterocarpan medicarpin, the phenylpropenes trans-anethol, methyl eugenol, elimicin, Methoxyeugenol and cis-asarone, and the triterpenic alcohols lupeol and alpha- and beta- amyrins. The methanol extract exhibited high antioxidant activities by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and beta-carotene/linoleic acid assay methods, and antimicrobial activity toward Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. CONCLUSION: Structures are suggested for new substances never before seen in any kind of propolis. This is the first report of 3,4,2',3'-tetrahydroxychalcone and a flavone C-glycoside in a propolis sample.

Distinguishing chinese star anise from Japanese star anise using thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.[Pubmed:19507874]

J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Jul 8;57(13):5783-9.

The volatile compounds from the pericarps of Illicium anisatum L., Illicium brevistylum A.C.Sm., Illicium griffithii Hook.f. & Thomson, Illicium henryi Diels, Illicium lanceolatum A.C.Sm., Illicium majus Hook.f. & Thomson, Illicium micranthum Dunn, and Illicium verum Hook.f. were examined by thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). The volatiles desorbed from the pericarps of I. verum (Chinese star anise), the species traded for culinary purposes, were generally characterized by a high proportion of (E)-anethole (57.6-77.1%) and the presence of foeniculin; the latter was otherwise only detected in the pericarps of I. lanceolatum. In the pericarps of all other species analyzed, the percentage composition of (E)-anethole was comparatively lower (Methoxyeugenol, and two other eugenol derivatives, none of which were detected in any of the other species examined. TD-GC-MS enables the direct analysis of the volatile components from the pericarps of Illicium and can assist with differentiating the fruits of I. verum from other species of Illicium, particularly the more toxic I. anisatum.

GC/MS-positive ion chemical ionization and MS/MS study of volatile benzene compounds in five different woods used in barrel making.[Pubmed:17370248]

J Mass Spectrom. 2007 May;42(5):641-6.

Extracts from acacia, chestnut, cherry, mulberry, and oak wood, used in making barrels for aging wine and spirits were studied by GC/MS positive ion chemical ionization (PICI). Wood chips were extracted by a 50% water/ethanol solution and a tartrate buffer pH 3.2-12% ethanol (model wine) solution. The principal compounds identified in extracts were guaiacol-containing aldehydes and alcohols, such as benzaldehyde and derivatives, vanillin and syringaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde and coniferaldehyde, eugenol and Methoxyeugenol, guaiacol and methoxyguaiacol derivatives. PICI using methane as reagent gas produced a high yield of the protonated molecular ion of volatile phenols, compound identification was confirmed by collision-induced-dissociation (CID) experiments on [M + H](+) species. MS/MS fragmentation patterns were studied with standard compounds: guaiacol-containing molecules were characterized by neutral methyl and methanol losses, benzaldehyde derivatives by CO loss. Acacia wood extracts contained significant syringaldehyde and anisaldehyde, but no eugenol and Methoxyeugenol. Significant syringaldehyde, eugenol and Methoxyeugenol, and high vanillin were found in chestnut and oak wood extracts; low presence of volatile benzene compounds was found in mulberry wood extracts. Cherry wood extracts were characterized by the presence of several benzaldehyde derivatives and high trimethoxyphenol.

Estimation of aroma glycosides of nutmeg and their changes during radiation processing.[Pubmed:16445922]

J Chromatogr A. 2006 Mar 10;1108(2):252-7.

Glycosidically bound volatile compounds of nutmeg were identified as glyco-conjugates of p-cymene-7-ol, eugenol, Methoxyeugenol and alpha-terpineol. Using phenyl-beta-glucoside as external standard the contents of these glycosidic precursors were estimated based on the measurement of TLC spot density on a densitometer. p-Cymene-7-ol rutinoside was the major aroma glycoside (3.15 mg/100 g), followed by glucosides of Methoxyeugenol (0.61 mg/100 g), eugenol (0.50 mg/100 g) and alpha-terpineol (0.51 mg/100 g). A dose-dependent breakdown of these glycosidic precursors was observed during gamma-radiation processing. Among the four glycosides, alpha-terpineol glucoside was the most sensitive to radiation while p-cymene-7-ol rutinoside was the least sensitive. A reduction in the content of total glycosides by almost 50% was noted at a dose of 5kGy. Partitioning of aroma glycoside into n-butanol from aqueous extracts was found to result in rapid isolation of aroma glycosides, avoiding time consuming pre-purification on Amberlite XAD-2 column. A routine method based on extraction into n-butanol and subsequent quantification of post-irradiation changes in aroma glycosides on a TLC plate using a densitometer is proposed.