Abstract
This study investigated the protective effects of aged Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae ‘Chachi’ (PCR-C) on tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced oxidative damage in HepG2 cells. According to HPLC analysis, PCR-C aged 10 years (PCR-C10) had the highest flavonoids content, especially polymethoxyflavones (PMFs), compared with the fresh peel of Citrus reticulata cv. ‘Chachiensis’ and PCR-C aged 1, 3, and 5 years. Then, flavonoids-rich PCR-C samples and non-flavonoids-rich PCR-C samples (NF) were prepared by extracting and purifying PCR-C of different aging periods, for further cell experiments. Pretreatment with flavonoids-rich PCR-C samples (particularly PCR-C10) considerably reversed t-BHP-induced oxidative damage in HepG2 cells by improving cell viability, increasing SOD activity and GSH levels and reducing the overproduction of ROS and MDA. Correlation analysis further indicated that the accumulation of PMFs, mainly 5,6,7,4′-tetramethoxyflavone and nobiletin, was the main reason that PCR-C10 maintained the redox balance in HepG2 cells. These findings provided direct evidence for the cellular antioxidant activity of aged PCR-C and a guide for PCR-C’s classification, authentication and rational use.
Highlights
Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae (PCR), called “Chenpi” in Chinese, is the dried ripe pericarp of Citrus reticulata Blanco or its cultivars
It is noteworthy that the samples of different aging periods were from different batches of Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae ‘Chachi’, but their varieties, origins, and aging methods were consistent
The results showed that compared with Citrus reticulata cv
Summary
Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae (PCR), called “Chenpi” in Chinese, is the dried ripe pericarp of Citrus reticulata Blanco or its cultivars. PCR is widely consumed as a dietary condiment, tea ingredients, and various snacks [1], and used as a traditional medicine to treat indigestion and respiratory diseases [2]. A previous study reported that dieted rich in natural plant polyphenols could effectively reduce and prevent the occurrence of various diseases related to oxidative stress damage [6]. PCR-C is a potential antioxidant rich in flavonoids such as hesperidin, nobiletin, and tangeretin [3,7,8]. The antioxidant activity of flavonoids in citrus peel or PCR-C was mainly evaluated by chemical analysis methods such as ABTS, DPPH, and ORAC [9,10,11]. The above methods had limitations: they broke away from the environment conditions in the organism and ignored the bioavailability of flavonoids, resulting in a large discrepancy between the measured results and the actual results [12]
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