Background : Morus alba L. (M. alba L.), belonging to the family Moraceae, is widely distributed in East Asia. Fruits of M. alba L. have been used in traditional herbal medicine due to their antioxidant, anticancer, and antidiabetic properties. Phenolics play a main role for the growth, development, and pigment accumulation of plants. In this study, metabolic profiling of white (M. alba L. ‘Turkey’) and red (M. alba L. ‘Cheongil’) fruits during maturation. Methods and Results : Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites found in most of the higher plants. In the current study, the levels of phenolic compounds decreased during the maturation of Turkey and Cheongil fruits. Particularly, the Turkey fruits showed a dramatic decrease in the accumulation of phenolics. Principal component analysis (PCA) is one of powerful tools to identify overall patterns in the multivariat experimental data. The PCA score plots results revealed a clear classification between Cheongil and Turkey. Additioanlly, each group spread left to right in the X-axis by maturity. Two principal components of the score plot explained 71.1% of the total variance. Principal component 1 was associated with the separation of each group by maturity and isolation of Turkey 1. Conclusion : In this study, we investigated primary metabolites and secondary metabolites (phenolics) in the white fruits (M. alba L. ‘Turkey’) and red fruits (M. alba L. ‘Cheongil’) in order to provide information on change in metabolite patterns during maturation.

Background : Galantamine is mainly obtained from the bulbs and flowers of Galanthus caucasicus, Galanthus woronowii, and other related genera such as Narcissus tazetta, Narcissus pseudonarcissus, Leucojum aestivum, and Lycoris radiata. Galantamine is used to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and as an AD painkiller. Narcissus tazetta (N. tazetta), belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family, is a ornamental plant containing galantamine. In this study, metabolic profiling of N. tazetta different organs was performed. Methods and Results : The amount of galantamine in bulb of N. tazetta is the highest levels. About 0.61 ± 0.09 ㎎/g in bulb, 0.15 ± 0.17 ㎎/g in root, and 0.10 ± 0.0 ㎎/g in leaf. Contents of galantamine in root and leaf are not statistically significant. The total phenolic contents in leaf are the highest level. Rutin and kaempferol are identified all part of N. tazetta. On the other hands, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid is existed in leaf and caffeic acid is only existed in root. None of the bulbs except rutin and kaempferol are identified. Because plant secondary metabolism is closely related to plant primary metabolism, we used GC-TOF-MS on the levels of hydrophilic low-molecular-weight molecules in the N. tazetta. A total of 41 metabolites, including sugars, amino acids, organic compounds, and phenolic acids, were identified and measured, and the resulting quantitative data were subjected to principal components analysis (PCA). The results of PCA of metabolic profiles clearly showed the lack of marked variance among different organs of L. radiata. Two principal components of the score plot explained 86.79% of the total variance (component 1; 55.40%, component 2; 31.39%). Component 1 resolved the separation of leaves from the other plant parts. Conclusion : Narcissus tazetta belongs to amaryllidaceae family. These family has various alkaloids, in particular, galantamine is beneficial to Alzheimer patients. All parts of N. tazetta produce galantamine, in particular, the highest level is existed in the bulb. In contrast, phenolic compounds are identified

Background : Members of Amaryllidaceae family produce several alkaloids with unique structures and a variety of medicinal properties. Galantamine, in particular, is one of the alkaloids approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the European Registration Bureau for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Lycoris radiata (L. radiata), belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family, is a bulbous plant containing galantamine, which exhibits selective and dominant acetylcholinesterase inhibition. In this study, metabolic profiling of L. radiata different organs was performed. Methods and Results : Galantamine in root, bulb, and leaf of L.radiata analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The amount of galantamine in leaf is about 1.07 ± 0.17 ㎎/g and it is the higher than bulb (0.88 ± 0.01 ㎎/g) and root (0.75 ± 0.01 ㎎/g). These results are statistically significant. Six phenolics are identified in L. radiata through high performance liquid chromatography. Total amounts of phenolics are the highest in bulb. Because plant secondary metabolism is closely related to plant primary metabolism, we used GC-TOF-MS on the levels of hydrophilic low-molecular-weight molecules in the L. radiata. A total of 41 metabolites, including sugars, amino acids, organic compounds, and phenolic acids, were identified and measured, and the resulting quantitative data were subjected to principal components analysis (PCA). The results of PCA of metabolic profiles clearly showed the lack of marked variance among different organs of L. radiata. Two principal components of the score plot explained 89.4% of the total variance (component 1, 51.86%; component 2, 37.54%). Component 1 resolved the separation of leaves from the other plant parts. Conclusion : Amaryllidaceae family synthesize galantamine belonging to alkaloids. Particularly, in bulb of Lycoris radiata, galantamine contents are the highest level. Thus, bulb is very beneficial for Alzheimer’s disease because the galantamine is well known as treatment of dementia of Alzheimer type.