Codonopsis lanceolata and Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. root extracts for functional food: metabolic profiling by MS, FTIR and fluorescence and evaluation of cytotoxicity and anti-obesity properties on 3T3-L1 cell line

Abstract: The effects of bioactivity, binding properties, anti-obesity and antioxidant enzyme activities in different fractions from the roots of Codonopsis lanceolata [C. lanceolata (CL)] in comparison with Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. [N. nucifera Gaertn (NN)] were evaluated in vitro. The rate of cell survival progressively decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Butyl alcohol fraction of CL exhibited a pronounced cytotoxic effect (75.73 %) comparable to that of hexane (79.82 %), following by methylene chloride (84.02 %), ethyl acetate (87.62 %) and water fractions (86.30 %) at the same concentration at 200 μg/mL on 3T3-L1 cells. Confluent 3T3-L1 cells were treated with 50 µg/mL of CL and NN extracts and then stained with Oil Red O solution. Inhibitory degree of lipid accumulation against these extracts showed a significant level compared with the control sample. Both lipid accumulation and adipocyte differentiation showed relatively high effects in methyl chloride fraction. Comparative results of cytotoxicity and inhibitory degree of lipid accumulation were obtained with extracts of N. nucifera Gaertn. roots. The root extract of C. lanceolata had the significantly highest SOD enzyme activity of 84.5 % in ethyl acetate fraction and the lowest in water (57.9 %). Similar correlations were found for CAT, APX and POD activities as the highest in ethyl acetate partition layer compared with the other fractions. The binding properties were determined by interaction of polyphenols extracts of CL and NN with human serum albumin. Overall results of properties of these two plants suggest that the roots of C. lanceolata and N. nucifera Gaertn. may assist in the potential biological activity on anti-obesity, cytotoxic, antioxidant and binding capacities as a part of functional food. Graphical Abstract: CL, NN, Codonopsis lanceolata, Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. I, II, Effects of solvent fractions on lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells of CL, NN. Con, control; MC, methylene chloride fraction; III, IV, 3D-fluorescence spectra and corresponding contour maps (III, IV) of polyphenols of CL and NN in interaction with human serum albumin.[Figure not available: see fulltext.]