Interest in the antioxidant activity of bamboo leaves is growing. To discover new sources of natural antioxidants, a TLC bioautography method combined with a new image processing method was developed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of leaf extracts from 15 different species of bamboo. The results showed that the methanolic extract of Bambusa. textilis McClure possessed the highest antioxidant activity among the selected bamboo species. To rapidly identify the antioxidant compounds, the crude extract of B. textilis McClure was analysed by HPLC-UV, and HPLC-micro-fractionation of the extract was carried out. Based on TLC bioautography-guided fractionation, three antioxidant fractions were isolated from B. textilis McClure by preparative chromatography. These three antioxidant compounds were identified as isoorientin 4''-O β-D-xylopyranoside (1), isoorientin 2''-O-α-L-rhamnoside (2) and isoorientin (3) according to their UV, MS, and NMR data. The proposed TLC screening method could therefore be an easy way to evaluate the antioxidant activity of bamboo leaves, and the results achieved should prove very helpful for promoting their utilization, as B. textilis McClure can be considered a promising plant source of natural antioxidants.

Bamboo shoots, most of which are bitter in taste, are a traditional vegetable eaten in Asia. However, our understanding of the components responsible for this bitterness is limited. In this study, we used metabolomic and phytochemical analyses to scientifically study bamboo shoot bitterness. Based on oral evaluation, 16 common bamboo shoots were categorized into four bitterness groups. The most bitter species was Pleioblastus amarus. Thus, we isolated and performed a detailed spectroscopic analysis of 14 main compounds from this species. The correlation between the concentration of these components and bitterness in four representative bamboo shoot species was then analyzed by UPLC-MRM-MS and PLS-DA. It appears that bamboo shoot bitterness is largely due to L-phenylalanine, uridine, L-omithine, L-tryptophan, and adenine, with L-phenylalanine being the greatest contributor. In addition to identifying the primary component involved in bamboo shoot bitterness, this study also outlines a novel method for evaluating the bitterness of natural foods.

Bambusa textilis McClure is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant belonging to the Bambusoideae subfamily and used to treat chronic fever and infectious diseases. To investigate the bioactive compounds absorbed in the rabbit blood after oral administration of hot-water extracts from the leaves of B. textilis McClure, a validated chromatographic fingerprint method was established using LC-Q-TOF-MS. Twenty compounds in bamboo leaves and three potential bioactive compounds in rabbit plasma were detected. Of the twenty detected compounds in vitro, fifteen of which were tentatively identified either by comparing the retention time and mass spectrometry data with that of reference compounds or by reviewing the literature. Three potential bioactive compounds, including (E)-p-coumaric acid, (Z)-p-coumaric acid, and apigenin-8-C-β-D-(2"-O-α-L-rhamnosyl)-gluco-pyranoside, were detected in both the leaves of B. textilis McClure and rabbit plasma. Of the three compounds, apigenin-8-C-β-D-(2"-O-α-L-rhamnosyl)glucopyranoside was identified based on its UV, MS, and NMR spectra. This study provides helpful chemical information for further pharmacology and active mechanism research on B. textilis McClure.

The glutinous rice dumpling named “Zongzi” in Chinese is a type of traditional food that is popular in East Asian countries. “Zongzi” is made of glutinous rice and wrapped in the leaves of Indocalamus latifolius McClure as the packaging material. Four new compounds, latifoliusine A (2), (7S,8R) syringylglycerol-8-O-4′-sinapyl ether 4-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (7), (7S,8S) syringylglycerol-8-O-4′-sinapyl ether 7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (8), and (7R,8S) syringylglycerol-8-O-4′-sinapyl ether 7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (10), along with six known compounds (1, 3–6 and 9) were isolated from I. latifolius McClure leaves. The structures and relative configurations of the compounds were determined by detailed spectroscopic analysis, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (HRESIMS), heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC), heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC), nuclear overhauser enhancement (NOE) and circular dichroism (CD). All of the isolated compounds were screened for their antibacterial activities in vitro. The results indicated that apigenin 6-C-α-l-arabinopyranosyl-8-C-β-d-glucopyranoside (5) and apigenin 7-O,8-C-di-glucopyranoside (6) have antibacterial activities against four bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus thuringiensis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas solanacearum).

Bamboo juice is a traditional Chinese drink and herbal medicine, and bamboo juice oral liquids are widely sold for the treatment of cough and phlegm in China. In this study, 26 main compounds of bamboo juice (Phyllostachys edulis) were separated, precisely identified, and qualitative analysis using NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and quantitative analysis using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS (ultra-performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer), respectively. Potentially harmful levels of added excessive preservatives, including benzoic acid, ethylparaben, and sorbic acid, were found in bamboo juice oral liquid. Carbohydrates were determined to be the major components of bamboo juice, with contents as high as 191.13 g L⁻¹, far higher than those of other compounds. The result indicated that the cough relief activity of bamboo juice oral liquid may be related to their high levels of added preservatives.