2. Academic Validation
  3. 'Fengtang' plum seed waste: Phytochemicals and anti-inflammatory effects in vivo and in vitro

'Fengtang' plum seed waste: Phytochemicals and anti-inflammatory effects in vivo and in vitro

  • Food Chem X. 2026 Mar 26:35:103793. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2026.103793.
Yuanquan Ran 1 2,  Lu Jin 2,  Furong Ding 2,  Dan Long 2,  Guo Chen 1,  Qiong Hu 1,  Bing Yang 1,  Wenyu Wu 1,  Dongxin Tang 1,  Minyi Tian 1 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550000, China.
  • 2 National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for the Exploitation of Homology Resources of Southwest Medicine and Food, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
PMID: 41953656 DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2026.103793
Abstract

During 'Fengtang' plum fruit processing, the seeds as by-products are discarded as waste. Nevertheless, its seed has edible and medicinal value. Thus, we investigated the phytochemical constituents of 'Fengtang' plum seed and explored its anti-colitis effects and related mechanisms. 'Fengtang' plum seed 70% ethanol extract (EE) and water extract (WE) were found to be abundant in phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Fifty-five phytochemicals identified by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS analysis included 12 Phenols and 8 Flavonoids. In LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells, EE inhibited the ROS/MAPK/NF-κB pathway, thereby repressing IL-6, IL-1β, NO, PGE2, and TNF-α oversecretion. Additionally, the DSS-induced pathological symptoms of colon mice, including weight loss, colon shortening, and DAI score rise, were considerably alleviated. It also significantly suppressed inflammatory cytokine secretion and reduced ROS generation by increasing CAT and SOD activities and decreasing MDA levels in tissue fluid and serum. Therefore, 'Fengtang' plum seed has potential utilization value in the field of functional foods.

Keywords

Colitis; MAPK; NF-κB; Phytochemicals; ‘Fengtang’ plum.

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