Salt stress affects not only the growth and development of medicinal plants but also their secondary metabolism and medicinal quality. In this study, we employed an integrative approach combining physiological assays with multi-omics analyses to systematically investigate the response mechanisms of Tussilago farfara L. to salt stress. The results showed that salt stress induced the accumulation of osmoprotectants and enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, while significantly reshaping secondary metabolic pathways. Metabolomic analysis revealed differential response patterns of various compounds to salt stress: flavonoids and phenylpropanoids exhibited an initial increase followed by a decrease, whereas quinic acid esters and sesquiterpenoids continuously accumulated. Based on the accumulation trends of these compounds, 100 mM NaCl was identified as the most suitable concentration among the tested gradients for balancing medicinal component accumulation and basic plant growth, under which the most pronounced increase in medicinal components occurred. Transcriptomic analysis showed that under this suitable concentration, the flavonoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways were strongly activated, with key structural genes significantly upregulated-a finding further validated by qRT PCR analysis. Correlation network analysis revealed that transcription factors from the AP2/ERF, WRKY, MYB, and NAC families exhibited significant associations with biosynthetic genes for these medicinal compounds, suggesting their potential involvement in the transcriptional regulation of active component accumulation under salt stress. This study would establish a foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying salt tolerance and the formation of medicinal quality in T. farfara, and provide a potential strategy for improving its medicinal quality under saline-alkali conditions.

This study evaluated the nonvolatile and volatile flavor profiles of six honey peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) cultivars across early- ('Ri Chuan' and 'Jing Hong'), mid- ('Bai Feng' and 'Xia Hui'), and late-ripening ('Zhong Hu Jing'and'Wan Hu Jing') stages at comparable maturity. Late-ripening cultivars exhibited higher fruit weight, soluble solids content, and total sugars (95.34 vs72.01 mg/g in early cultivars). Although total acidity showed no significant group-level differences, organic acid compositions varied markedly: quinic and citric acids predominated in early cultivars, whereas malic acid was higher in mid- and late-ripening groups. Sucrose was the predominant sugar, while glucose, fructose, and sorbitol drove cultivar variation. GC-IMS and HS-GC-MS identified 51 and 71 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), respectively. Early-ripening cultivars were characterized by green/fatty aldehydes and ketones; mid-ripening cultivars by green-note alcohols and fruity esters; and late-ripening cultivars by terpenoids, lactones, and esters imparting floral, fruity, creamy, and ripe-peach aromas. Integrating VIP values, univariate testing, and odor-activity evaluation identified 12 key differential aroma-active markers (e.g., ethyl isobutyrate, hexyl acetate, nonanal, and γ-decalactone). Overall, peach flavor differentiation is governed by coordinated shifts in sugar-acid and volatile compositions, highlighting the complementary power of dual-platform profiling.

Coffee brewing is a dynamic solid-liquid extraction process, yet the fate of metabolites beyond the conventional single brewing cycle remains unclear. Here, untargeted UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS-based metabolomics was applied to systematically profile metabolite depletion and persistence across multiple brewing cycles at three roasting levels. Brewing cycle was a major source of metabolite variation across roasting levels, with the first cycle differing most from subsequent cycles. A total of 1030 negative and 360 positive features differed significantly across brewing cycles. The most significantly depleted metabolites were confirmed as phloretic acid, shikimic acid, quinic acid, and caffeine using authentic standards. Notably, the second cycle was dominated by caffeoylquinic acids and their derivatives, caffeine, cysteinesulfenic acid, and levoglucosan. This study provides chemical evidence consistent with conventional single-cycle brewing while highlighting post-brewing coffee residues as potential sources for targeted recovery and waste valorization.

Endophytic fungi are recognized as prolific sources of structurally diverse secondary metabolites with significant pharmaceutical potential. In the present study, endophytic fungi were isolated from healthy tissues of Atalantia racemosa (Rutaceae), an ethnomedicinal plant traditionally used for respiratory disorders and blood purification. A total of three fungal isolates were obtained and identified as Aspergillus flavus, Pleosporales sp., and Endothia sp. based on morphological and molecular (ITS sequencing) analyses. Crude extracts of the isolates were subjected to phytochemical characterization using GC-MS, FTIR, and LC-MS techniques. GC-MS profiling revealed the presence of fatty acids, sterols, phenolics, and terpenoids, while FTIR analysis confirmed key functional groups such as hydroxyl, carbonyl, and aromatic moieties. Importantly, LC-MS analysis provided high-resolution metabolite profiling, identifying diverse bioactive compounds including alkaloids, flavonoids, quinic acid derivatives, xanthones (mangostin derivatives), phenolic amides (N-feruloyl-octopamine), diterpenoids, chalcones, macrolides, and terpene lactones in both positive and negative ionization modes. Biological evaluation demonstrated notable antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and wound healing activities, with Endothia sp. showing superior anticancer activity (IC50: 19.37 µg/mL) and significant wound healing potential. The integration of LC-MS data highlights the metabolic diversity and pharmacological relevance of these fungal isolates. Overall, the study confirms that endophytic fungi associated with A. racemosa are promising sources of bioactive metabolites with potential applications in drug discovery.

Reducing postprandial blood glucose (PBG) constitutes a core objective in the clinical management of diabetes mellitus. Urtica cannabina L., a traditional medicinal and edible homologous plant, is widely distributed in China; however, research on its pharmacological activity and chemical composition remains relatively scarce. In the present study, the PBG-lowering potential of U. cannabina L. was confirmed both in vitro and in vivo, and its chemical constituents were preliminarily identified by UPLC-triple-TOF-MS/MS for the first time. Notably, acarbose (8 mg/kg), a clinically approved first-line α-glucosidase inhibitor, and UCE20 (20% ethanol extract of U. cannabina L.) at 10 mg/kg both significantly reduced PBG levels. Furthermore, UPLC-triple-TOF MS/MS analysis combined with correlation analysis has preliminarily indicated that hydroxycinnamoyl quinates and flavonoid C-glycosides may serve as the primary bioactive components responsible for the PBG-lowering effect. These findings suggested U. cannabina L. holds potential as a medicinal ingredient or health food to assist in the regulation of PBG levels.

This study investigated parental influences on primary metabolite composition and metabolic features consistently associated with fruit quality traits using 289 samples from six strawberry F1 populations. Primary metabolite profiling revealed substantial metabolic variation among populations and its relationships with total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), and the TSS/TA ratio. Malic acid and asparagine were positively correlated with mid-parent values, consistent with additive parental contributions across populations. Metabolite-based predictive models, Elastic Net and PLSR, achieved moderate to relatively high predictive performance, demonstrating robust applicability across populations. Quinic, citric, and malic acids, together with myo-inositol and xylose, were identified as key predictors for quality traits. Furthermore, TSS was more strongly associated with the ratio of major sugars to pentoses than with total sugar content, suggesting the relevance of sugar composition to TSS variation. These findings demonstrate that specific metabolic signatures enable robust evaluation of fruit quality traits across diverse strawberry populations.

This study presents the phytochemical and biological evaluation of the species Hedysarum yilmazunalii Kandemir, F. Yıldız & H.İ. Turkoğlu. Methanolic extracts from leaves, stems, and roots were characterized by LC-MS/MS, and their antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, and antiproliferative activities were investigated. The analyses showed organ-specific differences in phenolic composition, with quinic acid as the major compound in leaves together with higher levels of flavonoid glycosides, including astragalin and isoquercitrin. Aerial extracts showed strong enzyme inhibitory activity. Leaf and stem extracts exhibited cholinesterase inhibition, with IC50 values of 5.82 and 6.42 µg/mL for AChE and 5.41 and 5.50 µg/mL for BChE, respectively. The leaf extract showed α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (4.10 µg/mL), comparable to acarbose, and antioxidant activity (DPPH: 6.46 µg/mL), together with the highest phenolic (145.43 mg GAE/g extract) and flavonoid contents (87.20 mg QE/g extract). Antiproliferative assays demonstrated growth inhibition of lung and breast cancer cell lines, with the lowest GI50 values of 1.00 µg/mL for H1650 and 2.34 µg/mL for MDA-MB-231 cells. LDH cytotoxicity remained low (2.25%-12.59%), indicating limited membrane damage in both cancer and normal cells. These findings identify H. yilmazunalii as a source of compounds with antioxidant, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, and anticancer potential.

Oxidative coupling of caffeic acid esters with primary amino compounds may cause the formation of colored compounds, but there is still uncertainty about the mechanisms and structures, especially when derived from α-amino acids. Therefore, methyl caffeate (MCA) or 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA) was reacted with either α- or β-alanine, and the products were characterized using UHPLC-DAD-ESI-LIT-MS and UHPLC-DAD-ESI-QToF-MS. For both caffeic acid esters, UV-vis data, fragmentation patterns, and exact masses revealed the formation of analogous reaction products, supposedly based on a benzacridine core. However, data derived from model systems based on MCA were less complex due to the absence of acyl migration. As expected, presumed N-unsubstituted benzacridines were found with α- but not β-alanine, whereas N-substituted benzacridines were surprisingly found with both. The findings expand current knowledge of benzacridine formation from different precursors and provide a sound basis for the generation of reference substances and studies in real food systems.

This study characterized the phytochemical composition of a methanolic bark extract of Cinnamomum verum and evaluated its antibacterial, bactericidal, biofilm-biomass-reducing, and preliminary antibiotic-potentiating effects against reference and multidrug-resistant bacterial strains. The extract was characterized by HPLC-MS; MIC and MBC values were determined by broth microdilution; biofilm biomass was assessed using the crystal-violet assay; and antibiotic-extract interactions were screened by disk diffusion. Molecular docking was used as a hypothesis-generating approach to investigate interactions between identified phytochemicals and GyrB, LasA, and PBP1a. Seventeen compounds were identified, with trans-cinnamaldehyde as the predominant quantified constituent, followed by quinic acid, rutin, and protocatechuic acid. The extract inhibited all tested bacteria, with MIC and MBC values of 0.625-5 and 2.5-20 mg/mL, respectively, and MBC/MIC ratios consistent with bactericidal activity. Imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were the most susceptible. The extract also reduced biofilm biomass in a concentration-dependent and strain-dependent manner. Disk-diffusion screening identified antibiotic- and isolate-dependent increases in inhibition zones, particularly for cefoxitin and fosfomycin against MRSA and for selected combinations against A. baumannii; however, some combinations were unchanged or produced smaller zones, and pharmacological synergy was not established. Docking prioritized quercetin, 1,3-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside as candidates for subsequent target-based validation.

In this study, the enzyme inhibition and antioxidant capacity of Achillea biserrata were determined, and their relationship with cytotoxic effects was investigated. Antiproliferative activity was evaluated by the MTT assay in L929, A549, B16F10, Hep-3B, PC-3, MCF-7, and CaCo-2 cell lines, and enzyme inhibition was assessed against tyrosinase, urease, PTP-1B, and DPP-4. Ethanol extracts showed the greatest bioactivity, whereas water extracts were the least active. The capitulum ethanol extract (CEE) exhibited the strongest inhibition of tyrosinase, urease, DPP-4, and PTP-1B (IC50: 72.83, 40.84, 70.12, and 302.42 µg/mL, respectively) and the highest cytotoxicity (IC50: 168.42-325.42 µg/mL). LC-MS/MS analysis identified quinic acid as the major constituent in the stem (44.614 mg/g extract) and capitulum (2.063 mg/g extract), and chlorogenic acid in the leaves (45.502 mg/g extract). Principal component analysis (PCA) integrating LC-MS/MS and bioactivity data supported the bioactive potential of A. biserrata, highlighting its promise as a pharmaceutical resource.

Astragalus species have long been recognized for their pharmacological relevance, yet the antidiabetic properties of Astragalus cruciatus Link (Ac) remain poorly explored. This study aimed to investigate the antidiabetic potential of A. cruciatus Link and to elucidate possible underlying mechanisms. The ethanolic extract of Ac (AcEE) was prepared and analyzed for phenolic and flavonoid content. Antioxidant activity was assessed through a series of in vitro assays. The in vitro inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase was assessed, followed by molecular docking to probe ligand-enzyme interactions. LC-ESI-MS analysis revealed a polyphenol-rich profile, with rutin (953.54 µg/g extract) and quinic acid (797.18 µg/g of extract) identified as main compounds. The AcEE showed significant inhibitory activity against both α-amylase and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 239.30 ± 7.40 and 192.60 ± 15.51 μg/mL, respectively). Moreover, low cytotoxic effects were observed in hepatic cell lines. Computational analysis revealed stable interactions between rutin and both enzymes (-12.935 and -8.073 Kcal/mol, respectively). Network pharmacology revealed that AcEE may modulate key targets, including IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, Akt-1, STAT3, EGFR, and INSR as well as pathways related to insulin resistance, AGE-RAGE, and inflammation. These findings suggest that AcEE exerts significant antidiabetic effects through multitarget modulation, highlighting its potential as a natural therapeutic agent for T2DM.