α-Eleostearic acid from Gynostemma pentaphyllum seed oils

Abstract

Gypenoside tablets are commercially produced from the whole plant of Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino (Jiaogulan, in Chinese), and is a well-known traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The plant is a herbaceous vine of the family Cucurbitaceae that grows in the mountainous regions of China, India, Myanmar, Korea, and Japan [1]. Gynostemma pentaphyllum has a variety of biological properties, such as antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and immunopotentiation [2, 3] and has been extensively used to treat chronic diseases. To date, previous studies of G. pentaphyllum have been mainly focused on its resource distribution, morphological characteristics, saponin glycosides, and pharmacological properties [4, 5]. Seed germination of G. pentaphyllum has been studied [6, 7], but the properties of the seed oils have not been reported in any studies. Conjugated fatty acids that occur in seed oils of certain plants include -eleostearic acid, calendic acid, and catalpic acid. They are of commercial and biotechnological interest because of their chemical and physiological properties, and they have been shown to reduce fat accumulation in livestock, which results in enhanced meat quality [8, 9]. Selected species from at least eight different plant families are known to produce seeds that are rich in conjugated fatty acids [10]. Among conjugated fatty acids, -eleostearic acid (1) is more effective than punicic acid against oxidative DNA damage [11]. It is a natural and biologically active compound that has been shown to possess potent antitumor properties [12]. -Eleostearic acid was discovered in seed oils of five plants, including Aleurites fordii, Punica granatum, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Momordica charantia, and Impatiens balsamina. In addition, -eleostearic acid, which is mainly obtained from seed oils of Aleurites fordii, has been adopted for alternative cancer therapies [13]. We report -eleostearic acid from seed oils of Gynostemma pentaphyllum in this paper.