Dataset Information

Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) Exhibits as a Novel Anti-Hyperuricaemia Agent.

ABSTRACT: Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) belongs to the Sapotaceae family. It can change flavors on taste buds, transforming acidic tastes to sweet. We evaluated various miracle fruit extracts, including water, butanol, ethyl acetate (EA), and hexane fractions, to determine its antioxidant effects. These extracts isolated from miracle fruit exerted potential for reduction of uric acid and inhibited xanthine oxidase activity in vitro and in monosodiumurate (MSU)-treated RAW264.7 macrophages. Moreover, we also found that the butanol extracts of miracle fruit attenuated oxonic acid potassium salt-induced hyperuricaemia in ICR mice by lowering serum uric acid levels and activating hepatic xanthine oxidase. These effects were equal to those of allopurinol, suggesting that the butanol extract of miracle fruit could be developed as a novel anti-hyperuricaemia agent or health food.

SUBMITTER: Shi YC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6274476 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) Exhibits as a Novel Anti-Hyperuricaemia Agent.

Shi Yeu-Ching YC Lin Kai-Sian KS Jhai Yi-Fen YF Lee Bao-Hong BH Han Yifan Y Cui Zhibin Z Hsu Wei-Hsuan WH Wu She-Ching SC

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) 20160126 2

Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) belongs to the Sapotaceae family. It can change flavors on taste buds, transforming acidic tastes to sweet. We evaluated various miracle fruit extracts, including water, butanol, ethyl acetate (EA), and hexane fractions, to determine its antioxidant effects. These extracts isolated from miracle fruit exerted potential for reduction of uric acid and inhibited xanthine oxidase activity in vitro and in monosodiumurate (MSU)-treated RAW264.7 macrophages. Moreove ...[more]

PMID: 26821007

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Project description:Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) is a rare valuable tropical plant famous for a miraculous sweetening glycoprotein, miraculin, which can modify sour flavors to sweet flavors tasted by humans. Here, we present a chromosome-level high-quality genome of S. dulcificum with an assembly genome size of ∼550 Mb, contig N50 of ∼14.14 Mb, and 37,911 annotated protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that S. dulcificum was most closely related to Camellia sinensis and Diospyros oleifera, and that S. dulcificum diverged from the Diospyros genus ∼75.8 million years ago (MYA), and that C. sinensis diverged from Synsepalum ∼63.5 MYA. Ks assessment and collinearity analysis with S. dulcificum and other species suggested that a whole-genome duplication (WGD) event occurred in S. dulcificum and that there was good collinearity between S. dulcificum and Vitis vinifera. On the other hand, transcriptome and metabolism analysis with six tissues containing three developmental stages of fleshes and seeds of miracle fruit revealed that Gene Ontology (GO) terms and metabolic pathways of "cellular response to chitin," "plant-pathogen interaction," and "plant hormone signal transduction" were significantly enriched during fruit development. Interestingly, the expression of miraculin (Chr10G0299340) progressively increased from vegetative organs to reproductive organs and reached an incredible level in mature fruit flesh, with an fragments per kilobase of transcript per million (FPKM) value of ∼113,515, which was the most highly expressed gene among all detected genes. Combining the unique signal peptide and the presence of the histidine-30 residue together composed the main potential factors impacting miraculin's unique properties in S. dulcificum. Furthermore, integrated analysis of weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), enrichment and metabolite correlation suggested that miraculin plays potential roles in regulating plant growth, seed germination and maturation, resisting pathogen infection, and environmental pressure. In summary, valuable genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolic resources provided in this study will promote the utilization of S. dulcificum and in-depth research on species in the Sapotaceae family.

Project description:Despite the growing interest in the miracle plant worldwide due to its numerous applications, the threats and the wild harvest of the species hamper its sustainable utilisation. Moreover, traditional knowledge so far documented on the species is limited to a narrow geographical coverage of its natural distribution range, which is West and Central Africa. This study analysed the use variation and knowledge acquisition pattern of the miracle plant among West African sociolinguistic groups and deciphered the drivers of populations' willingness and readiness to engage in cultivating the species. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 510 respondents purposively selected from nine sociolinguistic groups in Benin and Ghana using the snowball sampling approach. Information was collected on respondents' socio-demographic profile, miracle plant ownership, plant parts used and preparation methods, knowledge of the species bioecology, perceived threats on the species, willingness to cultivate, maximum acreage to allocate to the species and maximum price to pay for a seedling. Descriptive statistics, generalized linear models, classification and regression tree models were used for data analysis. The miracle plant ownership mode depended on the age category. Sociolinguistic affiliation, level of schooling, migratory status and religion significantly affected the number of trees owned. We recorded 76 uses belonging to six use categories. The overall use-value of the miracle plant significantly varied according to the respondent sociolinguistic affiliation, main activity and religion. Men were the main source of knowledge and knowledge is mainly acquired along the family line. Knowledge related to food and social uses was mostly acquired from parents and people of the same generation, while magico-therapeutic and medicinal use-related knowledge were inherited from parents and grandparents. Sociolinguistic affiliation, awareness of taboos and market availability were the most important drivers of respondent willingness to cultivate the miracle plant. While the respondent's level of schooling and perception of plant growth rate determined the maximum acreage they were willing to allocate to the species in cultivation schemes, their main activity, sociolinguistic affiliation and knowledge of the species time to fruiting drove the maximum purchase price they were willing to offer for a seedling of the species. Our findings provide key information for the promotion of miracle plant cultivation in the study area.

Project description:BackgroundUnderstanding end-users' preferred breeding traits and plant management practices is fundamental in defining sound breeding objectives and implementing a successful plant improvement programme. Since such knowledge is lacking for Synsepalum dulcificum, a worldwide promising orphan fruit tree species, we assessed the interrelationships among socio-demography, ecology, management practices, diversity and ranking of desired breeding traits by end-users of the species (farmers, final consumers and processing companies) in West Africa.MethodsSemi-structured interviews, field-visits and focus groups were combined to interview a total of 300 farmers and final consumers belonging to six sociolinguistic groups sampled from three ecological zones of Benin and Ghana. One processing company in Ghana was also involved. Data collected included socio-demographic characteristics; crop management systems and practices; and preferences of farmers, final consumers and processing companies and ranking of breeding traits. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independence, and non-parametric tests, generalized linear models, multi-group similarity index and Kendall's concordance coefficient.ResultsMen (86.33% of respondents) were the main holders of S. dulcificum in the study area. The three most frequent management practices observed in the species included weeding, fertilization and pruning, which were applied by 75.66%, 27.33% and 16.66% of respondents, respectively. The management intensity index varied significantly across ecological zones, sociolinguistic groups, and instruction level (p < 0.001) but was not affected by gender (p > 0.05). General multigroup similarity indices ([Formula: see text]) for farmer-desired traits, on one hand, and final consumer-desired traits, on the other hand, were high across ecological zones ([Formula: see text] ≥ 0.84) and sociolinguistic groups ([Formula: see text] > 0.83). Nevertheless, respondents from the Guineo-Congolian (Benin) and the Deciduous forest (Ghana) zones expressed higher agreement in the ranking of desired breeding traits. Preference for breeding traits was 60% similar among farmers, final consumers, and processors. The key breeding traits desired by these end-users included in descending order of importance big fruit size, early fruiting, high fruit yielding (for farmers); big fruit size, high fruit miraculin content, fruit freshness (for final consumers); and high fruit miraculin content, big fruit size, high fruit edible ratio (for processing companies).ConclusionThis study revealed stronger variations in current management practices across ecological zones than across sociolinguistic groups. A high similarity was shown in end-users' preferences for breeding traits across the study area. Top key traits to consider in breeding varieties of S. dulcificum to meet various end-users' expectations in West Africa include fruit size and fruit miraculin content. These results constitute a strong signal for a region-wide promotion of the resource.

Dataset Information

Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) Exhibits as a Novel Anti-Hyperuricaemia Agent.

Publications

Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) Exhibits as a Novel Anti-Hyperuricaemia Agent.

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