A metabolomic approach to investigate metabolization of Echinacea purpurea extract in the upper gastrointestinal tract in vitro

Echinacea purpurea is frequently used to relieve the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections [1]. An important first step to understand the pharmacological activity and the mechanism of action of medicinal plant extracts is the investigation of the complex metabolic processes within the human digestive tract. The effects of upper intestinal tract digestion on an E. purpurea pressed juice were assessed using the static in- vitro model Infogest 2.0 [2]. The pressed juice dried under gentle conditions was successively mixed 1:1 with simulated salivary fluid (no amylase, no incubation), simulated gastric fluid (pepsin, gastric lipase, 2h, pH 3, 37°C) and simulated intestinal fluid (pancreatin, bile, 2h, pH 7, 37°C).

Analysis and annotation of the constituents present in the native preparation and in the gastric and intestinal phases after in vitro digestion (after lyophilisation and protein precipitation) was accomplished by UHPLC-HRMS analysis. Individual compound analysis suggested the presence of compounds like malic, citric and tartaric acids, betaine, caftaric, fertaric, coutaric, coumaric acids and several alkamides. The overall chemical profile was highly impacted by the gastric phase, where the levels of numerous compounds were enhanced. These enhanced levels returned to basal levels or were decreased in the intestinal phase. Alkamides remained unaffected by in vitro digestion. Compounds remaining stable towards simulated upper intestinal tract digestion may reach the colon in unchanged form in vivo, unless they are absorbed in the upper intestinal tract.

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
16. November 2023

• References

• 1 https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/herbal/echinaceae-purpureae-herba
• 2 Brodkorb A, Egger L, Alminger M, Alvito P, Assuncao R, Ballance S, Bohn T, Bourlieu-Lacanal C, Boutrou R, Carriere F. et al. INFOGEST static in vitro simulation of gastrointestinal food digestion. Nat Protoc 2019; 14: 991-1014