Abstract
Background
Diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disorder, leads to complications via oxidative stress and AGEs formation. Antioxidants are promising therapeutic agents for reducing these complications. Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack. (centipedegrass), known for its diverse bioactivities, remains understudied for its anti-glycative properties.
Objective
This study aimed to isolate and characterize bioactive compounds from the aerial part of centipedegrass and evaluate their inhibitory effects on AGEs formation and oxidative stress to identify potential therapeutic candidates for diabetic complications.
Methods
The aerial parts of centipedegrass were extracted with 70% ethanol, followed by bioactivity-guided fractionation using Diaion HP-20 column chromatography. The most active fraction (CGE03) was analyzed for total flavonoid content and further purified using Toyopearl HW-40, Sephadex LH-20, and YMC gel ODS columns. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated using NMR and UV spectroscopy in combination with mass spectrometry. Anti-glycation activity was assessed via fluorescence-based AGEs inhibition assays, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity was evaluated using a deoxyribose degradation assay.
Results
Bioactivity-guided fractionation of centipedegrass extract led to the isolation of nine C-glycosylated flavones (
Conclusion
This study presents a detailed structural analysis of the rotational isomer of maysin, revealing its potent therapeutic potential for managing oxidative stress-related diabetic complications and offering novel insights into C-glycosylated flavonoids from Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.
Introduction
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder marked by chronic hyperglycemia. It is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide, contributing to rising mortality rates and complications such as coronary heart disease, nephropathy, and neurodegeneration. 1 Diabetes-associated metabolic syndrome is commonly characterized by hyperglycemia, elevated triacylglycerol (TG) levels, and HDL dyslipidemia. Among these factors, hyperglycemia plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications by triggering multiple pathways, including the increased formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), overexpression of AGE receptor, activation of protein kinase C isoform, excessive oxidative stress, and increased flux through the aldose reductase (AR)-related polyol pathway.2,3 Several recent reports have also shown that synthetic and natural antioxidants may help mitigate diabetic complications in humans. 4 Therefore, inhibiting AGE formation and oxidative stress is considered a promising therapeutic approach for managing diabetic-related complications.
Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack. (centipedegrass) a widely cultivated warm-season lawn belonging to the Poaceae family, is native to China, Southeast Asia, and South America. It is known for its thick sod formation, low-growing stoloniferous dispersion, and a medium to light green color. 5 Previous biological and phytochemical investigations have identified C-glycosidic flavones and phenolic constituents as its secondary metabolites, which have been reported to inhibit osteoclast differentiation.6,7 In an ongoing study on the bioactive constituents of South Korea native E. ophiuroides, the isolation and characterization of C-glycosylated flavones and their pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity were reported. 8 Further screening of naturally occurring bioactive compounds in E. ophiuroides led to the identification of an ethanolic extract from the aerial part, which significantly inhibited AGE formation (IC50 values of 42.1 ± 1.0 μg/mL). Based on this promising activity, bioactivity-guided fractionation was conducted to isolate and characterize its active constituents. The isolation and structural characterization of nine C-glycosidic flavones are presented herein, and their inhibitory effects against oxidative stress-related diabetic complications were evaluated using in vitro AGEs formation and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays.
Materials and Methods
General Experimental Procedures
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra for 1H and 13C were measured on an Avance NEO-600 instrument (Bruker, Karlsruhe, Germany) operated at 600 and 150 MHz, respectively. Chemical shifts are reported in δ (ppm) using tetramethylsilane (TMS) as an internal standard. For calibration, DMSO-d6 (δH 2.50; δC 39.5) and CD3OD (δH 3.35; δC 49.8) were used as reference solvents. The electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra were recorded using a Vanquish UPLS System (Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA). The ultraviolet (UV) spectrum was measured on a T-60 spectrophotometer (PG Instrument, Leicestershire, UK), the circular dichroism (CD) spectrum and optical rotation were recorded on a JASCO J-1500 and P-2000 spectrometer (JASCO, Tokyo, Japan). Column chromatography was performed using Diaion HP-20 (Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Tokyo, Japan), Toyopearl HW-40 (coarse grade; Tosoh Co., Tokyo, Japan), Sephadex LH-20 (particle size 25-100 μm; GE Healthcare Biosciences AB, Uppsala, Sweden), and YMC gel ODS AQ 120-50S (particle size 50 μm; YMC Co., Kyoto, Japan) gel columns. A microplate reader (Infinite F200, Tecan Austria GmBH, Grodig, Austria) was used for absorbance measurements. Semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was performed using an Agilent HPLC 1200 system (Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA, USA) equipped with a photodiode array detector (PDA, 1200 Infinity series, Agilent Technologies). YMC-Pack ODS A-302 column (4.6 mm i.d. × 150 mm, particle size 5 μm; YMC Co., Kyoto, Japan) was used for compound purification. All other reagents and chemicals purchased and used in this study were of analytical grade.
Plant Material
Dried aerial parts of Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack. were collected at the Advanced Radiation Technology Institute (ARTI), Jeongeup, Korea, in May 2024. The sampling site was located at 29 Geumgu-gil, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea (Latitude: 35.6056° N, Longitude: 126.8706° E, Altitude: approximately 33 m). The collection complied with institutional and national guidelines for the ethical use of plant materials. A voucher specimen (Lot no. 202410A) representing this collection was identified by Dr. Seung Sik Lee and deposited at the Natural Product Chemistry Laboratory of Daegu University.
Extraction and Isolation
The plant material (4 kg) was extracted three times with 70% EtOH (80 L per extraction) at room temperature, each for 24 h, over a total period of 3 d. The extracts were filtered, and the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure. The combined crude EtOH extract (500 g) was suspended in a mixture of MeOH–H2O (9:1) solution (1 L), and subjected directly to a Diaion HP-20 column (10 cm i.d. × 45 cm) with H2O containing increasing amounts of MeOH in stepwise gradient mode, and then fractionated into six subfractions CGE01–CGE06, respectively. Among these subfractions, CGE03 exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity against AGEs formation, with an IC50 value of 9.2 ± 0.5 μg/mL. Moreover, CGE03 exhibited the highest flavonoid content (310 ± 2.7 mg LE/g), outperforming other extracts or subfractions. Bioactive fraction CGE03 (2.1 g) was further fractionated using a Toyopearl HW-40 (2.5 cm i.d. × 45 cm) column, yielding five subfractions (CGE0301‒CGE0305). Subfraction CGE0304 (305.1 mg) was subjected to column chromatography over a YMC gel ODS AQ 120-50S (1.5 cm i.d. × 38 cm) column with aqueous MeOH to yield pure maysin (
Maysin (
1H and 13C NMR Data of Compound
Measured in DMSO-d6, and assignments of chemical shifts were based on the analysis of 1D and 2D NMR spectra. Overlapping signals were assigned from the HSQC, HMBC, and 1H-1H COSY spectra without designating the multiplicity.
Ma and Mi denote the major and minor rotamer of each flavone, respectively.
Data (δ) measured at 600 MHz.
Data (δ) measured at 150 MHz.
ax-4″-Hydroxymaysin (
Isoorientin 2″-O-α-L-rhamnoside (
Derhamnosylmaysin (
Luteolin 6-C-β-D-boivinopyranoside (
Luteolin 6-C-α-L-arabinoside (
Luteolin 6-C-α-L-rhamnoside (
Isoorienetin (
Orientin (
Total Flavonoid Content
The total flavonoid content was determined using the aluminum chloride colorimetric method, as previously reported. 9 Luteolin (0.05 g) was dissolved in 50 mL of 95% MeOH (v/v) and diluted to obtain calibration standards (31.25 to 500 μg/mL). Then, 0.5 mL of the standards, blank, or centipedegrass extract and subfractions (1 mg/mL) were mixed with 0.1 mL of aluminum chloride (10%), 0.1 mL of 1 M potassium acetate, and 2.8 mL of distilled water in a test tube and incubated for 30 min at room temperature. The absorbance of the reaction mixture was measured at 432 nm. Finally, the total flavonoid content was calculated from the luteolin calibration equation (y = 0.0002x + 0.0377, R2 = 0.9998) and expressed as milligrams of luteolin equivalent per gram of dry extract (mg LE/g).
AGEs Formation Inhibitory Activity Assay
The ability of the compounds to inhibit AGE formation was evaluated using previously reported methods with a minor modification. 10 Briefly, an AGE reaction solution was prepared by the addition of 10 mg/mL bovine serum albumin in 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4), along with 0.02% sodium azide to prevent bacterial growth, was added to 0.2 M fructose and 0.2 M glucose. The reaction mixture (950 μL) was then combined with various concentrations of the samples (50 μL, final concentration: 200 μg/mL for the extracts, fractions, and compounds) dissolved in 10% DMSO. Following incubation at 37 °C for 7 days, the fluorescence intensity of the reaction products was determined using a spectrofluorometric detector (Infinite F200; Tecan Austria GmBH, Grödig, Austria), with excitation and emission wavelengths at 350 and 450 nm, respectively. The nucleophilic hydrazine compound aminoguanidine was used as a positive control substance in the AGE assay.
Hydroxyl Radical Scavenging Activity Assay
The hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of the C-flavones was determined using the original deoxyribose degradation assay. 11 In brief, the isolated flavones were first dissolved in EtOH to prepare the sample solution (at 10-300 μM). An aliquot of the sample solution (400 μL) was added to phosphate buffer (10 mM, pH 7.4). Then, 50 μL of deoxyribose (50 mM), 50 μL of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (1 mM), 50 μL of FeCl3 (3.2 mM) and 50 μL of H2O2 (50 mM) were added. The reaction was initiated by mixing 50 μL of L-ascorbic acid (1.8 mM) and the total volume of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 400 μL with buffer. After incubation at 37 °C for 4 h, the reaction was terminated by 250 μL of trichloroacetic acid (2.8%, w/w). The color was then developed by addition of 150 μL of thiobarbituric acid (0.5%, w/w) and heating in a water-bath at 105 °C for 15 min. The mixture was cooled and absorbance was measured at 530 nm (ELISA reader) against the buffer (as blank). The IC50 value (50% inhibition) was evaluated using linear regression analysis of scavenging activities under the assay conditions. The natural radical scavenger (+)-catechin was used as the positive control substance in this assay.
Acid Hydrolysis of Maysin (1 )
Compound
Statistical Analysis
All data were evaluated by one-way ANOVA, followed by Duncan's multiple range test. Results were considered statistically significant when P < .05. Each experiment was conducted at least three times independently.
Results
Identification of Maysin (1 ) and Characterization of C-flavones
Eremochloa ophiuroides is recognized for its diverse biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory,
12
anticancer,13,14 anti-adipogenesis,
15
and anti-osteoporotic effects.
6
These activities are primarily attributed to its phenolic and flavonoid constituents.
8
Despite the known pharmacological benefits, its potential role in diabetic complications remains unexplored. Studies characterizing its major components or evaluating the bioactivity of individual compounds are still limited. To identify bioactive compounds derived from natural resources, bioactivity-guided fractionation was performed on an ethanolic extract using Diaion HP-20 column chromatography. The 40% MeOH in H2O eluate (fraction CGE03) exhibited potent AGEs inhibition activity with an IC50 value of 9.2 ± 0.5 μg/mL (Table 2). Additionally, total flavonoid content analysis revealed that CGE03 contained a significantly higher flavonoid content (310.0 ± 2.7 mg LE/g) compared to the 70% EtOH extract (Table 2). Reverse-phase HPLC analysis revealed a significant increase in the area values of major components in fraction

HPLC Chromatograms of 70% EtOH Extract and 40% MeOH Fraction (CGE03) of Eremochloa ophiuroides. Analysis Concentration: 2 mg/mL, Injection Volume: 5 µL.

Structures of Isolated C-glycosidic Flavones
Total Flavonoid Content and Inhibition of AGEs Formation of the Extract and Subfractions of Eremochloa Ophiuroides.
The values (μM) are defined as the concentration that results in a 50% decrease of the bioassay data are mean ± Standard deviation (SD) from triplicate experiments. Different letters (w–z) within the same column indicate significant differences (p < .05).
LE: luteolin equivalents.
Compound

Key HMBC and COSY Correlations of
Interestingly, NMR spectra of compound
Based on the spectroscopic analysis and comparisons with previously reported data, compounds 2‒9 were identified as known C-glycosyl flavones: ax-4″-hydroxymaysin (
Suppression of AGEs Formation and Hydroxyl Radical Scavenging Activities of C-glycosidic Flavones
All pure isolates in the present investigation were evaluated for their anti-glycation properties against AGEs formation using aminoguanidine as a positive control (Table 3). The C-glycosyl flavone
Effects on the Inhibition of AGEs Formation and Hydroxyl Radical Scavenging Activities of the Isolated Compounds
The values (μM) are defined as the concentration that results in a 50% decrease of the bioassay data are mean ± Standard deviation (SD) from triplicate experiments. Different letters (w–z) within the same column indicate significant differences (p < .05).
Used as a positive control.
In addition, the radical scavenging activity of the isolated compounds was evaluated based on the previously reported procedure using hydroxyl radical.
11
As summarized in Table 3, the C-glycosylated flavone
Discussion
Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack. (centipedegrass) extract has been reported to exhibit various bioactivities, including antioxidant and anti-obesity effects, due to its rich composition of polyphenolic compounds.6–8 In particular, flavone derivatives are abundant in centipedegrass and are considered key contributors to its biological activities.6–8 In this study, nine C-glycosylated flavones were successfully isolated from the aerial parts of Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack. Among them, maysin (
Diabetes and hyperglycemia lead to increased oxidative stress, which presumably has an important role in the onset of diabetic complications such as neuropathy, cataracts, and retinopathy.29,30 Among the proposed mechanisms for the pathogenesis of diabetic complications, AGE formation is considered a major contributor to oxidative stress in ocular and neural tissues.
31
Recently, a more effective therapeutic strategy for diabetic complications has focused on preventing AGE formation and AGE-mediated damage by scavenging free radicals, trapping reactive dicarbonyl species, chelating transition metal ions, blocking AGE receptors, and inhibition of aldose reductase.
32
Thus, oxidative stress is closely linked to AGE formation, and antioxidants that inhibit AGE formation are valuable therapeutic agents for diabetic complications in humans. Naturally occurring flavonoids are ubiquitous phytochemicals in the plant kingdom, especially in vegetables and fruits. To date, more than 6000 flavonoids have been identified with their potential antioxidant properties varying significantly based on the linkage position and number of hydroxyl groups on flavonoid aglycones.
33
Previous studies have demonstrated that the antioxidant activity of flavonoids contributes to their protective effects against diabetic complication.
31
In present investigation, C-glycosylated flavones
Limitation of the Study
Although anti-glycative C-glucosylated flavones, including maysin (
Conclusion
This study demonstrated a pair of rotational isomers (rotamers) of maysin (
Supplemental Material
sj-docx-1-npx-10.1177_1934578X251348565 - Supplemental material for Anti-glycative C-glycosidic Flavones from the Aerial Part of Eremochloa Ophiuroides (Munro) Hack
Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-npx-10.1177_1934578X251348565 for Anti-glycative C-glycosidic Flavones from the Aerial Part of Eremochloa Ophiuroides (Munro) Hack by Gyeong Han Jeong, Seong Hee Kang, Hanui Lee, Tae Hoon Kim, Hyoung-Woo Bai, Seung Sik Lee and Byung Yeoup Chung in Natural Product Communications
Footnotes
Author Contributions
Funding
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the KAERI Institutional Program (Project No. 523310-25) funded by the Nuclear R&D Program of the Ministry of Science and ICT, and by the Innopolis Foundation through the Technology Commercialization Project funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Grant No. RS-2024-00416870).
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Data Availability Statement
The datasets used and/or analyzed in the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Statement of Informed Consent
There are no human subjects in this article, and informed consent is not applicable.
Statement of Human and Animal Rights
This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects.
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References
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