Potential of galled leaves of Goji (Lycium chinense) as functional food

BACKGROUND: Goji (Lycium) is a popular traditional health food, and its fruit and root extracts have been found to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hypocholesterolemia-inducing abilities. Goji leaves also contain high amounts of phenolic compounds, similar to its fruit, and their extracts also exhibit several pharmaceutical effects. The induction of galls on Goji leaves reduces their photosynthetic ability and fruit yield, which raise their farming costs, thereby leading to economic loss. However, the defense mechanisms induced by infection may elevate the secondary metabolite content of the leaves, which might provide more nutritive compounds. METHOD: Content of chlorophyll, carotenoids, polyphenols, and flavonoids in the extracts of normal and infected Goji leaves (L. chinense) were analyzed. The relative content of chlorogenic acid and rutin, two major phenolic compounds in Goji leaves, were determined by LC-MS/MS. Antioxidant activity was presented by demonstrating the DPPH scavenging percentage. The extract of Goji fruit (L. barbarum) was also analyzed to show a comparative result. RESULTS: In this study, we found that in infected Goji leaves, the polyphenol content was significantly increased. The level of chlorogenic acid was increased by 36% in galled leaves. The content of rutin in galled leaves was also elevated. Testing the antioxidant activities also showed that the extracts of galled leaves have higher DPPH scavenging abilities. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that galled Goji leaves have higher functional value, and may have potential as being consumed as health food.