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Updated: Oct 11, 2025

Optimization of Processing of Tiebangchui with Highland Barley Wine Based on the Box-Behnken Design Combined with the Entropy Method
Published on: May 19, 2023
Structurally diverse Monascus pigments with hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective activities from highland barley
Rong-Rui Wei1, Mao-Hua He1, Zhi-Pei Sang2
1Research Center of Natural Resources of Chinese Medicinal Materials and Ethnic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Modern Preparation of Chinese Medicine of Ministry of Education, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, PR China.
Abstract:
Highland barley Monascus has historically been used in solid state fermentation and traditional fermented foods in Tibet. It is possessed of the characteristics of medicine and food. Three new 8,13-unsaturated benzocyclodiketone-conjugated Monascus pigments (1-3), three new benzofuran Monascus pigments (4-6), three new butylated malonyl Monascus pigments (7-9), and eleven known Monascus pigment derivatives (10-20) were isolated from highland barley Monascus for the first time. Their structures were determined by analyzing NMR, MS, UV, and IR spectral data and compared with relevant references. Among them, compounds 2, 4, 6 showed important inhibition of pancreatic lipase activity, and decreased significantly FFA-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 liver cells. Additionally, compounds 1, 10, 14, 16, 18 exhibited certain hepatoprotective activities against the damage in acetaminophen-induced HepG2 cells. The plausible biogenetic pathway and preliminary structure activity relationship of the selected compounds were scientifically summarized and discussed in this work.

