Unveiling Thailand’s ethnopharmacological heritage to find new natural sweeteners
Résumé
Thailand’s biodiverse landscape and traditional practices in parts of southwest Asia offer a unique opportunity to explore the rich array of medicinal plants and their cultural significance. In this context, three species were sourced from local thai markets to investigate their potential for yielding novel glycosides, such as sweet-tasting saponins. First, the Monk fruit Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C.Jeffrey ex A.M.Lu & Zhi Y.Zhang (Cucurbitaceae) (MPNS Portal, 2024) is a natural sweetener used for over 300 years to treat pharyngitis and pharyngeal pain (Gong et al., 2019). Albizia myriophylla Benth. (Fabaceae), is also prevalent in Thai and Vietnamese traditional medicine. Its stems are utilized as a substitute for licorice due to their sweet taste and it is highly valued for treating diseases of oral cavity like dental caries and aphthous ulcers (Joycharat et al., 2016). Sapindus rarak DC. (Sapindaceae) pericarp powder and extracts are widely used for their sweet taste and in hair and skin care, due to their rich concentration in saponins and thus natural foaming abilities. The pericarps also find applications in laundry detergents and in Ayurveda and folklore medicine for treating asthma, skin diseases and psychiatric disorders (Kora, 2023). This poster presentation provides a comprehensive overview of the isolation protocol used to obtain crude saponin mixtures from each plant, beginning with microwave-assisted extraction and incorporating various chromatographic techniques including VLC, flash chromatography, and MPLC. Furthermore, it assesses their capacity to activate the sweet taste receptor TAS1R2/TAS1R3, offering insights into their potential effects. References Medicinal Plant Names Services Portal, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Version 13, accessed on 10/04/2024. Gong X., Chen N., Ren K., Jia J., Wei K., Zhang L., Lv Y., Wang J., Li M. 2019. The Fruits of Siraitia grosvenorii: A Review of a Chinese Food-Medicine. Front Pharmacol. 10, 1400. Joycharat N., Boonma C., Thammavong S., Yingyongnarongkul B.E., Limsuwan S., Voravuthikunchai S.P., 2016. Chemical constituents and biological activities of Albizia myriophylla wood. Pharm Biol. 54, 62-73. Kora A. J., Inamuddin, Adetunji C.O. (Eds). 2023. Applications of Next Generation Biosurfactants in the Food Sector, Chapter 22, 459-477. Academic Press
