Phytochemical content, especially spermidine derivatives, presenting antioxidant and antilipoxygenase activities in Thai bee pollens

Phanthiwa Khongkarat; Preecha Phuwapraisirisan; Chanpen Chanchao

doi:10.7717/peerj.13506

Phytochemical content, especially spermidine derivatives, presenting antioxidant and antilipoxygenase activities in Thai bee pollens

PeerJ. 2022 May 25:10:e13506. doi: 10.7717/peerj.13506. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Phanthiwa Khongkarat¹, Preecha Phuwapraisirisan², Chanpen Chanchao³

Affiliations

¹ Program in Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Patumwan, Bangkok, Thailand.
² Center of Excellence in Natural Products, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Patumwan, Bangkok, Thailand.
³ Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Patumwan, Bangkok, Thailand.

Abstract

Background: Bee pollen (BP) is full of useful nutrients and phytochemicals.Its chemical components and bioactivities depend mainly on the type of floral pollen.

Methods: Monofloral BP from Camellia sinensis L., Mimosa diplotricha, Helianthus annuus L., Nelumbo nucifera, Xyris complanata, and Ageratum conyzoides were harvested. Crude extraction and partition were performed to yield solvent-partitioned extracts of each BP. Total phenolic content (TPC) was assayed by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, while the flavonoid content (FC) was measured by the aluminium chloride colorimetric method. Antioxidant capacity was measured by the (i) 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, (ii) 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) scavenging activity and its Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), and (iii) ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). All samples were tested for lipoxygenase inhibitory (LOXI) activity. The most active sample was enriched by silica gel 60 column chromatography (SiG60-CC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), observing the chemical pattern of each fraction using thin layer chromatography. Chemical structure of the most active compound was analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry.

Results: Dichloromethane (DCM)-partitioned BP extracts of H. annuus L. and M. diplotricha (DCMMBP) showed a very high TPC, while DCMMBP had the highest FC. In addition, DCMMBP had the strongest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities (as a TEAC value), as well as FRAP value. Also, DCMMBP (60 µg/mL) gave the highest LOXI activity (78.60 ± 2.81%). Hence, DCMMBP was chosen for further enrichment by SiG60-CC and HPLC. Following this, the most active fraction showed higher antioxidant andLOXI activities with an EC₅₀ for DPPH and ABTS of 54.66 ± 3.45 µg/mL and 24.56 ± 2.99 µg/mL (with a TEAC value of 2,529.69 ± 142.16 µmole TE/g), respectively, and a FRAP value of 3,466.17 ± 81.30 µmole Fe²⁺/g and an IC₅₀ for LOXI activity of 12.11 ± 0.36 µg/mL. Triferuloyl spermidines were revealed to be the likely main active components.

Conclusions: TPC, FC, and spermidine derivatives played an important role in the antioxidant and antilipoxygenase activities in M. diplotricha bee pollen.

Keywords: Bee pollen; Bioactivity; Flavonoid content; Phytochemical; Total phenolic content.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Antioxidants* / pharmacology
Bees
Flavonoids / analysis
Humans
Phenols / analysis
Phytochemicals / pharmacology
Pollen / chemistry
Southeast Asian People
Spermidine*

Substances

Antioxidants
2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid
Spermidine
Flavonoids
Phenols
Phytochemicals

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by the Science Achievement Scholarship of Thailand, the 90th Anniversary of Chulalongkorn University Fund (Ratchadaphiseksomphot Endowment Fund), Toray Science Foundation, and Thailand Science Research and Innovation Fund Chulalongkorn University (CUFRB65_food(6)_114_23_44). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.