Bioactive Components from Ampelopsis japonica with Antioxidant, Anti-α-Glucosidase, and Antiacetylcholinesterase Activities

Jia-Hua Liang; Hsiang-Ru Lin; Chang-Syun Yang; Chia-Ching Liaw; I-Chou Wang; Jih-Jung Chen

doi:10.3390/antiox11071228

Bioactive Components from Ampelopsis japonica with Antioxidant, Anti-α-Glucosidase, and Antiacetylcholinesterase Activities

Antioxidants (Basel). 2022 Jun 23;11(7):1228. doi: 10.3390/antiox11071228.

Authors

Jia-Hua Liang¹, Hsiang-Ru Lin², Chang-Syun Yang³, Chia-Ching Liaw^{4

5}, I-Chou Wang^{6

7}, Jih-Jung Chen^{3

8}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Traditional Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan.
² Department of Chemistry, College of Science, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Kaohsiung 82444, Taiwan.
³ Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan.
⁴ Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Taipei 112026, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Chiayi University, Chiayi 600355, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital Tainan Branch, Tainan City 710011, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Food Nutrition, Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan City 717302, Taiwan.
⁸ Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404332, Taiwan.

Abstract

The dried root of Ampelopsis japonica (Thunb.) Makino (A. japonica.) is a traditional medicine used to treat fever, pain, and wound healing. It exhibits anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antityrosinase, and antimelanogenic activities. In this paper, we used different solvent extracts from the root of A. japonica to determine their antioxidant activity. Acetone extract showed relatively strong antioxidant properties by 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)hydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide radical scavenging activity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. In addition, these extracts also showed significant α-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities. Acetone extract significantly inhibited α-glucosidase with an IC₅₀ value of 8.30 ± 0.78 μg/mL, and ethanol extract remarkably inhibited AChE with an IC₅₀ value of 37.08 ± 7.67 μg/mL. Using HPLC analysis and comparison with the chemical composition of various solvent extracts, we isolated seven active compounds and assessed their antioxidant, anti-α-glucosidase, and anti-AChE activities. Catechin (1), gallic acid (2), kaempferol (3), quercetin (4), resveratrol (6), and epicatechin (7) were the main antioxidant components in the root of A. japonica. According to the results of DPPH, ABTS, and superoxide radical scavenging assays, these isolates showed stronger antioxidant capacity than butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Moreover, 1, 3, 4, euscaphic acid (5), 6, and 7 also expressed stronger anti-α-glucosidase activity than the positive control acarbose, and all the isolated compounds had a good inhibitory effect on AChE. Molecular docking models and hydrophilic interactive modes for AChE assays suggest that 1 and 5 exhibit unique anti-AChE potency. This study indicates that A. japonica and its active extracts and components may be a promising source of natural antioxidants, α-glucosidase, and AChE inhibitors.

Keywords: AChE inhibition; Ampelopsis japonica; anti-α-glucosidase; antioxidants; bioactive compounds; molecular docking; solvent extracts.

Grants and funding

This research was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan (No. MOST 109-2320-B-010-029-MY3), awarded to J.-J. Chen. This work was also supported by the grants from Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital Tainan Branch (VHYK 110-07 and VHYK 111-02).