Research on the Chemical Composition and Pancreatic Lipase Inhibition Activity of the White Bauhinia Flower in the Leguminosae Genus There are about 600 species of Bauhinia plants in the Leguminosae family, distributed in tropical regions around the world. In China, there are 40 species, 4 subspecies, and 11 varieties, mainly produced in the southern and southwestern regions. Due to its elegant crown, large and fragrant flowers, it has high ornamental value and is easy to cultivate. It is often cultivated in gardens and roadsides for viewing and is a good ornamental plant. As a traditional Chinese medicine, Zanthoxylum plants are widely used to treat diabetes, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, analgesia, hemostasis and diuresis. Bauhinia variegata var. candida is a variant of Bauhinia variegata L., a deciduous tree belonging to the Fabaceae family. Its flowers have a bitter, astringent, and flat taste, and can be used as medicine to treat indigestion, wind heat cough, and hepatitis. Due to their beautiful and dense flowers, as well as their fragrant aroma, they are commonly used in folk medicine to coat flour for frying or as vegetable soup. However, there have been no reports on the chemical composition and edible pharmacology of the white flowered Bauhinia flower. In order to fully understand the material basis of the white Bauhinia flower and provide scientific basis for its edibility, this study systematically isolated and purified the ethanol extract of the white Bauhinia flower. The identified compounds were mainly flavonoids, which were reported to have good pancreatic lipase inhibitor activity in literature. Therefore, the pancreatic lipase inhibitor activity of the isolated compounds was studied to provide scientific basis for the development, utilization, and discovery of new uses of this plant.

 

The main components of 17 compounds isolated from the white Bauhinia flower are flavonoids, and most of them have been reported to have certain biological activities, mainly focused on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular protection, and blood glucose regulation. For example, the glucoside compound β – D-methylglucoside (1) has the effect of enhancing myocardial contractility, improving myocardial compliance and left ventricular systolic function, increasing cardiac output, and raising arterial blood pressure in experimental heart failure cats induced by pentobarbital sodium. P-coumaric acid (4) has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune regulation, anti-tumor, anti platelet aggregation, cardiovascular protection, prevention and improvement of diabetes and neuroprotective effects. Flavonoids such as naringenin (7), kaempferol (9), quercetin (14), 3-O-methyl quercetin (15), and quercetin-3-O – α – L-rhamnopyranosyl – (1 → 6) – β – D-glucopyranoside (16) have a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti infection, cardiovascular protection, and blood glucose regulation. Kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside (11) has good anti Helicobacter pylori activity and can reduce the MIC of ampicillin against Helicobacter pylori, providing a theoretical basis for the folk use of white Bauhinia flower as medicine. Pancreatic lipase mainly participates in the breakdown and metabolism of lipids, promoting the digestion of triglycerides, cholesterol, phospholipids, etc. in the duodenum, allowing dietary fat to be fully digested and absorbed, thereby treating metabolic diseases such as obesity. Compounds 10, 12, 13, 14, and 17 isolated in large quantities were screened for their inhibitory activity on pancreatic lipase in pigs, and the results showed that they have certain inhibitory activity, but their inhibitory activity is weaker compared to the positive drug orlistat. However, the white flowered Bauhinia flower contains a lot of flavonoids, which have great potential value in the development of health products such as antioxidants and anti-aging.