Nowadays, new types of vinegar have been developed using various raw materials and biotechnological processes. The fruit of Prunus mume has been extensively distributed in East Asia and used as a folk medication for fatigue. In this study, the Prunus mume vinegar (PV) was produced by a two-step fermentation and was evaluated for its anti-fatigue activity by C2C12 myoblasts and high-intensity exercised rats. The administration of PV significantly improved running endurance and glycogen accumulation in the liver and muscle of PV supplemented rats compared to sedentary and exercised control groups. In addition, PV supplementation elicited lower fatigue-related serum biomarkers, for instance, ammonia, inorganic phosphate, and lactate. PV administered rats exhibited higher lactate dehydrogenase activity and glutathione peroxidase activity, and lower creatine kinase activity and malondialdehyde levels. Furthermore, phenolic compounds in PV were identified using HPLC analysis. The phenolic acids analyzed in PV were protocatechuic acid, syringic acid, chlorogenic acid, and its derivates. These results indicate that the administration of PV with antioxidative property contributes to the improvement of fatigue recovery in exhausted rats. The findings of this study suggest that the PV containing various bioactive constituents can be used as a functional material against fatigue caused by high-intensity exercise.

Isoquercitrin (IQ), a major flavonol present in Prunus mume fruit, has gained much attention in recent studies because of its superior bioavailability and physiological effects. In this study, the anti-cancer mechanism of IQ against human melanoma, particularly its effect on the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, was investigated. Treatment with IQ at 25 μM concentration effectively inhibited the proliferation of SK-MEL-2 skin cancer cells while the same concentration did not exhibit cytotoxicity against human keratinocytes HaCaT. Morphological analysis and clonogenic assay also showed that IQ can alter the growth and long-term survival of SK-MEL-2 cells. IQ also induced apoptosis in the melanoma cells as manifested in the nuclear morphology changes, DNA fragmentation, increase in the apoptosis rate (17.69% at 25 μM) and accumulation of sub-G1 cell cycle phase population (19.55% at 25 μM). Western blot analysis revealed the involvement of the mitochondrial apoptosis signaling pathway in the anti-cancer property of IQ. Treatment with IQ resulted in the decrease in the levels of procaspase-8 and -9, and Bcl-2 protein, and an increase in the expression of cleaved PARP and Bax. Moreover, AIF and Endo G protein expression increased, indicating a caspase-independent mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. The anti-proliferative activity of IQ against SK-MEL-2 can also be attributed to the downregulation of the PI3K/AktmTOR signaling pathway. These findings showed that IQ can be developed into a chemopreventive therapeutic agent against the melanoma cells.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Western countries. Recently, Asian countries are being affected by Western habits, which have had an important role in the rapid increase in cancer incidence. Sanggenol L (San L) is a natural flavonoid present in the root barks of Morus alba, which induces anti-cancer activities in ovarian cancer cells. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the effects of sanggenol L on human prostate cancer cells have not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated whether sanggenol L exerts anti-cancer activity in human prostate cancer cells via apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Sanggenol L induced caspase-dependent apoptosis (up-regulation of PARP and Bax or down-regulation of procaspase-3, -8, -9, Bid, and Bcl-2), induction of caspase-independent apoptosis (up-regulation of AIF and Endo G on cytosol), suppression of cell cycle (down-regulation of CDK1/2, CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D1, cyclin E, cyclin A, and cyclin B1 or up-regulation of p53 and p21), and inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling (down-regulation of PI3K, p-Akt, and p-mTOR) in prostate cancer cells. These results suggest the induction of apoptosis via suppression of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling and cell cycle arrest via activation of p53 in response to sanggenol L in prostate cancer cells.

The fruit of Prunus mume (PM) is widely cultivated in East Asia, and it has been used as a folk medication for gastrointestinal disorders, e.g., diarrhea, stomach ache and ulceration. In this study, the pectinase-treated PM juice (PJ) was fermented with Lactobacillus strains containing fundamental organic acids and free amino acids. The PJ fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum and L. casei (FP) was investigated for its protective effect in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis mice model. The administration of FP reduced lipid peroxidation and histopathological colitis symptoms, e.g., shortening of the colon length, depletion of mucin, epithelial injury and ulceration, in colonic tissues. The FP-supplemented group showed the alleviation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Compared with the DSS control group, the supplementation of FP significantly reduced the levels of serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-12 and IL-17 as well as colonic tumor necrosis factor-α, IFN-γ, IL-12 and IL-17. Furthermore, the DSS-induced TUNEL-positive area was significantly reduced by the FP supplementation. These results show that the supplementation of FP fermented with mixed lactic acid bacteria, L. plantarum and L. casei, elucidated the protective effect in DSS-induced colitis mice. Hence, this study suggests that FP can be utilized as a natural therapeutic agent for colitis and intestinal inflammation.