Abstract
Ligustrum japonicum Thunb. (Oleaceae) has long been valued for the medicinal properties. Its fruits are traditionally utilized, while the leaves and branches are generally discarded after fruit harvest. These aerial parts therefore represent underutilized by-products whose phytochemical profiles remain insufficiently characterized. To elucidate the organ-specific chemical diversity and assess the potential value of these underutilized parts, a comparative analysis of the fruits, leaves, and branches was performed using HPLC–MS/MS combined with GNPS-based molecular networking, with a particular focus on secoiridoids, the characteristic metabolites of the Oleaceae family. This approach revealed substantial overlap as well as distinct variations in secoiridoid profiles among the three plant organs. Chromatographic separation yielded 14 secoiridoid derivatives shared across all organs. In addition, four previously undescribed secoiridoids were isolated and identified through spectroscopic analyses: secoligunosides A (1) and B (2) from the leaves and secoligunosides C (3) and D (4) from the branches. Among the major identified secoiridoids, oleuropein (10), 8Z-nüezhenide (17), and GL-3 (18) exhibited weak proliferative activity, showing an approximately 10–20% increase compared to control, on human dermal papilla cells. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the leaves and branches not only contain key secoiridoids found in the fruits but also harbor unique metabolites, highlighting their value as alternative or complementary medicinal resources. The underutilized parts of L. japonicum therefore represent promising sources of natural products and warrant further investigation for future therapeutic applications.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Fourteen secoiridoid derivatives were shared across the fruits, leaves and branches of Ligustrum japonicum.
- Taxon
- Ligustrum japonicum Thunb.
_Ligustrum_japonicum_inflorescences.jpg?width=60)
Ligustrum japonicume0 - Organ / stage
- all organse2
- Outcome
- secoiridoid derivativese2
- Value
- 14e2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_Ligustrum_japonicum_inflorescences.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Ligustrum japonicum Thunb. (Oleaceae) has long been valued for the medicinal properties”
e2“Chromatographic separation yielded 14 secoiridoid derivatives shared across all organs”
Claim · model-written summary
Four previously undescribed secoiridoids were isolated and identified, two from the leaves and two from the branches.
- Taxon
- Ligustrum japonicum Thunb.Ligustrum japonicume0
- Organ / stage
- leavese3
- Outcome
- previously undescribed secoiridoidse3
- Value
- foure3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Ligustrum japonicum Thunb. (Oleaceae) has long been valued for the medicinal properties”
e3“four previously undescribed secoiridoids were isolated and identified through spectroscopic analyses: secoligunosides A (1) and B (2) from the leaves and secoligunosides C (3) and D (4) from the branches”
Claim · model-written summary
Oleuropein, 8Z-nüezhenide and GL-3 showed weak proliferative activity on human dermal papilla cells, an increase of about 10–20% compared with control.
- Taxon
- Ligustrum japonicum Thunb.Ligustrum japonicume0
- Treatment
- oleuropein (10), 8Z-nüezhenide (17), and GL-3 (18)e4
- Outcome
- proliferative activitye4
- Direction
- increasee4
- Value
- 10–20%e4
- Qualifier
- weake4
- Comparator
- controle4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Ligustrum japonicum Thunb. (Oleaceae) has long been valued for the medicinal properties”
e4“oleuropein (10), 8Z-nüezhenide (17), and GL-3 (18) exhibited weak proliferative activity, showing an approximately 10–20% increase compared to control, on human dermal papilla cells”
Claim · model-written summary
The leaves and branches contain key secoiridoids that are also found in the fruits.
- Taxon
- Ligustrum japonicum Thunb.Ligustrum japonicume0
- Organ / stage
- leaves and branchese5
- Outcome
- key secoiridoidse5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Ligustrum japonicum Thunb. (Oleaceae) has long been valued for the medicinal properties”
e5“the leaves and branches not only contain key secoiridoids found in the fruits but also harbor unique metabolites”
Claim · model-written summary
The leaves and branches harbor unique metabolites not found in the fruits.
- Taxon
- Ligustrum japonicum Thunb.Ligustrum japonicume0
- Organ / stage
- leaves and branchese5
- Outcome
- unique metabolitese5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Ligustrum japonicum Thunb. (Oleaceae) has long been valued for the medicinal properties”
e5“the leaves and branches not only contain key secoiridoids found in the fruits but also harbor unique metabolites”
Claim · model-written summary
Secoiridoid profiles overlap substantially but also vary distinctly among the fruits, leaves and branches.
- Taxon
- Ligustrum japonicum Thunb.Ligustrum japonicume0
- Organ / stage
- three plant organse1
- Outcome
- secoiridoid profilese1
- Qualifier
- substantial overlap as well as distinct variationse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Ligustrum japonicum Thunb. (Oleaceae) has long been valued for the medicinal properties”
e1“This approach revealed substantial overlap as well as distinct variations in secoiridoid profiles among the three plant organs”