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Discovery and Quantitative Analysis of Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor (Nrf2) Activators in Maca (Lepidium meyenii) Using the Synthetic Macamides


 
 
 Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a biennial herbaceous plant of family Brassicaceae with various bioactivities such as reproductive health enhancement, antifatigue, antioxidation, neuroprotection, anticancer, hepatoprotection, and immunomodulation. But studies on molecular mechanisms beyond the phenomenal physiology are rare because the putative bioactive chemical constituents, macamides, a series of unique N-benzylamides with long-chain fatty acids are difficult to isolate from the natural maca specimen. In this study, ten macamides were chemically synthesized to investigate biological mechanisms underlying the various bioactivities.
 
 
 
 Macamides were synthesized from benzylamides and commercially available fatty acids adding 1,1'-carbonyl diimidazole. Nrf2 activation of macamides were measured using U2OS cells in CP0. Quantitative analysis of bioactive macamides were performed using LC-MS/MS system and synthesized standard macamides. The difference in composition of macamides among three cultivars, yellow, red and black macas was also examined.
 
 
 
 Three of macamides exhibited moderate nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activation was observed from cell-based assay (EC50 7.3–16.5 μM), which might account for some of the known bioactivities of maca. Quantitative analysis of macamide compositions in maca specimen using LC-MS/MS was followed, which revealed the macamides with Nrf2 activation activity consist the majority among macamides contained in maca.
 
 
 
 Among the bioactivities that have known as the beneficial effects of maca, bioactivities related to antioxidation might be accounted for the Nrf2 activation of macamides contained in maca.
 
 
 
 This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (2019R1F1A1051041).
