title: Identification of a novel glycoside, leptosin, as a chemical marker of manuka honey.
abstract: As a preliminary study, we have found that honey from manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) in New Zealand inhibits myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. In this study, using a chromatographic technique, we isolated two active compounds for MPO-inhibition from manuka honey. One is methyl syringate (MSYR), and the other was identified as a novel glycoside of MSYR, methyl syringate 4-O-β-D-gentiobiose, which has been named "leptosin" after the genus Leptospermum . The amount of the glycoside ranged from 0.2 to 1.2 μmol/g honey. Leptosin was only found in honeys from the Oceania region, and abundantly in manuka honey including jelly bush honey from Leptospermum polygalifolium in Australia. Therefore, leptosin may be a good chemical marker for manuka honey. Interestingly, the concentration of leptosin in manuka honey was positively correlated with the unique manuka factor (UMF) value, which is expressed as phenol equivalents of its bactericidal activity.
authors.affiliation: School of Human Science and Environment, University of Hyogo, Himeji, Hyogo, Japan. yojikato@shse.u-hyogo.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Natsuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: Asuna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Daiki
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Noritoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kitamoto
authors.forename: Hiroe
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kikuzaki
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D006027:Glycosides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006722:Honey / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D031649:Leptospermum / Q000737:chemistry*; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000032:analysis / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D006027:Glycosides; D009195:Peroxidase