Current findings and future prospective of high-value trans Himalayan medicinal plant Lycium ruthenicum Murr: a systematic review

Background The genus Lycium is commercially known for its nutrient dense goji-berries, among these berries, black goji-berries obtained from Lycium ruthenicum Murr are highly valued and widely used as traditional medicine in trans-himalayan cold desert Ladakh and as functional food in several countries. Methods The current collection of data and literature was done by exploring different scientific portals like SciFinder, Google scholar, PubMed, Dictonary of Natural Products, Institute for Scientific Information, Web of Science and Scopus by searching keywords like black goji berry, crystal pearl, and trans-Himalayan plant. Results Fruits of L. ruthenicum Murr, are overwhelmingly enriched in anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, polysaccharides, spermine and spermidine alkaloids. The presence of these bioactive phyto-chemicals has been linked with reported anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fatigue, anti-atherosclerosis and neuro-protective properties of black goji berries. A unique color of these berries makes them exceptional as compared to other berries. Conclusions In this article, we have reviewed the variety of high value phytochemicals of Lycium ruthenicum Murr, with a special focus on health promoting anthocyanins which will provide an insight to the readers for exploring novel applications of L. ruthenicum Murr in field of medicine and food industries.

The Main Anthocyanin Monomer from Lycium ruthenicum Murray Fruit Mediates Obesity via Modulating the Gut Microbiota and Improving the Intestinal Barrier

Anthocyanins have been shown to exert certain antiobesity properties, but the specific relationship between anthocyanin-induced beneficial effects and the gut microbiota remains unclear. Petunidin-3-O-[rhamnopyranosyl-(trans-p-coumaroyl)]-5-O-(β-D-glucopyranoside) (P3G) is the main anthocyanin monomer from the fruit of Lycium ruthenicum Murray. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the antiobesity and remodeling effects of P3G on gut microbiota through a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mouse model and a fecal microbiota transplantation experiment. P3G was found to reduce body weight gain, fat accumulation, and liver steatosis in HFD-induced obese mice. Moreover, supplementation with P3G alleviated the HFD-induced imbalance in gut microbiota composition, and transferring the P3G-regulated gut microbiota to recipient mice provided comparable protection against obesity. This is the first time evidence is provided that P3G has an antiobesity effect by changing the intestinal microbiota. Our present data highlight a link between P3G intervention and enhancement in gut barrier integrity. This may be a promising option for obesity prevention.

In Situ Stability of Anthocyanins in Lycium ruthenicum Murray

In this research, the effects of drying method, storage temperature, and color protector glucose on anthocyanin preservation in the Lycium ruthenicum Murr. fruit were studied. Compared with hot-air drying, vacuum freeze-drying preserved about 5.8-fold more anthocyanins. The half-life of anthocyanins in the freeze-dried fruit samples with glucose was 3.6 days, 1.8 days, and 1.7 days at 4 °C, 20 °C, and 37 °C, respectively. On the other hand, the half-life values without glucose addition were 2.2 days, 2.3 days, and 2.1 days at each temperature, respectively, indicating that glucose protected anthocyanins at low temperature. The composition and contents of anthocyanins and anthocyanidins in the freeze-dried Lycium ruthenicum Murr., stored for 20 days, were investigated with a HPLC-MS/MS setup. It was found that most anthocyanidins in Lycium ruthenicum Murr. are linked with coumaroyl glucose to form anthocyanins, while glycosylated and acetyl-glycosylated anthocyanins were also detected. Five anthocyanidins were detected: delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, malvidin, and peonidin, and delphinidin accounts for about half of the total amount of anthocyanidins. It is much more economic to conserve anthocyanins in situ with freeze-drying methods and to store the fruits at low temperatures with glucose.

Composition Changes in Lycium ruthenicum Fruit Dried by Different Methods

The fruit of Lycium ruthenicum (LRF), known as black wolfberry, is a medicinal and edible fruit. The fresh LRF is perishable and has only about 3 days of shelf life. Drying could prolong the shelf life of LRF. However, it could imply physical changes and chemical modification. This study evaluated the effect of sun drying (SD), hot air drying (HD), and freeze drying (FD) on the appearance characteristics, moisture content, bioactive compounds, amino acid composition, and antioxidant activity of LRF. The results showed that LRF dried by FD was round, expansive, fragile, and maintained the largest amount of appearance traits among the three drying methods. Drying methods had a significant effect on phytochemical content and antioxidant activity of LRF (P < 0.05). Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that procyanidin content (PAC), asparagine (Asn), total phenolic content (TPC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), and moisture content were the main sources of the difference in LRF dried by different methods. The characteristic of LRF in FD was low moisture content, and high TPC, Asn, PAC, and TAC. Sun drying was opposite to FD. Hot air drying was high TPC and low TAC content. The quality of LRF was in the order of FD > HD > SD based on comprehensive evaluation of the phytochemical component content and antioxidant capacity. Additionally, the water temperature and soaking time had different antioxidant activity effect on LRF dried by different methods. These findings will provide useful information for production and utilization of LRF.

Trade-Off Relationships of Leaf Functional Traits of Lycium ruthenicum in Response to Soil Properties in the Lower Reaches of Heihe River, Northwest China

Soil properties affect plant growth and cause variation in leaf functional traits. Lycium ruthenicum Murray is one of the desert dominant shrubs and halophytes in the lower reaches of Heihe River, Northwest China. We analyzed the trade-off relationships of 14 leaf functional traits of eight L. ruthenicum populations growing at varying distances from the river and discussed the effects that soil properties have on leaf functional traits. The results showed that: Lower leaf nitrogen (N) content indicated that L. ruthenicum was located at the slow investment–return axis of the species resource utilization graph. Compared with non-saline and very slightly saline habitats, populations of slightly saline habitats showed a higher carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N). Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed a relatively strong relationship between leaf functional traits and soil properties, the first RDA axis accounted for 70.99 and 71.09% of the variation in 0–40 and 40–80 cm of soil properties. Relative importance analysis found that in the 0–40 cm soil layer, leaf traits variations were mainly influenced by soil moisture (SWC), HCO3− and CO32− ions content, while leaf traits variations in the 40–80 cm soil layer were mainly influenced by HCO3− and SO42−. L. ruthenicum has a foliar resource acquisition method and a resource conservation trade-off with a flexible life history strategy in habitats with drought and salinity stress. In the shallow soil layers, water affects leaf traits variation greater than salt , and in both shallow and deep soil layers, HCO3− plays a dominant role on leaf traits. This study provides insights into the adversity adaptation strategies of desert plants and the conservation and restoration of arid-saline ecosystems.