Study on the Chemical Composition of Ethyl Acetate in Water Gardenia jasminoides
There are approximately 250 species of Gardenia plants in the Rubiaceae family, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the Eastern Hemisphere. Gardenia jasminoides var. radiata is a perennial shrub mainly distributed in provinces and regions such as Jiangxi, Henan, Hunan, and Hubei in China. Water gardenia, also known as Fushi gardenia, is often used as a raw material for extracting pigments due to its high content of gardenia yellow pigment. In folk medicine, its roots and fruits can be used as medicine, and external use can treat injuries and sprains. Oral administration has the effects of clearing heat, cooling blood, calming pain, and relieving wind and dampness. At present, there are few reports on the chemical composition and pharmacological activity of water gardenia. Existing research shows that water gardenia mainly contains chemical components such as iridoid glycosides, triterpenoids, diterpenes, coumarins, etc. In order to further explore the active ingredients contained in water gardenia and lay the foundation for the development and utilization of its plant resources, this study systematically investigated the chemical composition of the ethyl acetate fraction of water gardenia, and isolated 17 compounds from it, including 6 flavonoids, 4 lignans, 4 simple phenylpropanoids, and 3 other compounds. Through literature review, it was found that the extract of Gardenia jasminoides and its active ingredients have good hypoglycemic activity. As a variant of Gardenia jasminoides, water Gardenia jasminoides has little difference in genetic diversity, chemical composition, and pharmacological activity compared to Gardenia jasminoides. Therefore, this study used in vitro α – glucosidase inhibition activity experiments to screen the hypoglycemic activity of the obtained compounds, in order to clarify the pharmacological substance basis of the hypoglycemic activity of water gardenia and provide theoretical support for further development and utilization of its medicinal value.

As a variant of gardenia, water gardenia is widely distributed in China and has abundant plant resources. In this experiment, modern chromatographic techniques were used to study the chemical composition of the ethyl acetate portion of the 50% acetone extract of Gardenia jasminoides. Seventeen compounds were isolated from it, including compounds 1-6 as flavonoids, compounds 7-10 as lignans, and compounds 11-14 as simple phenylpropanoids. Among them, compounds 1, 3, 7, 9-15, and 17 were isolated for the first time from the Gardenia genus, while the remaining compounds were isolated for the first time from this plant. In addition, some of the obtained compounds were screened for α – glucosidase inhibitory activity. From the results, it can be seen that the obtained compounds have weak inhibitory activity on the α – glucosidase surface, but this does not indicate that the chemical components in Gardenia jasminoides have no α – glucosidase inhibitory activity. According to literature reports, the current reports on the hypoglycemic activity of Gardenia jasminoides mainly focus on cyclohexene ether terpenes. In order to further explore the material basis of its hypoglycemic activity, we will continue to study its chemical composition, with a particular focus on cyclohexene ether terpenes, in order to obtain compounds with good α – glucosidase inhibitory activity. This study enriches the chemical composition information of Gardenia jasminoides and provides a material basis and scientific basis for further developing its medicinal value to a certain extent.