Novel functional food from an invasive species Polygonum cuspidatum: safety evaluation, chemical composition, and hepatoprotective effects

Accidentally, we found that the shoots of Polygonum cuspidatum (SPC) have been consumed for centuries as a traditional vegetable in the Shennongjia region of China. Local residents believe that SPC has biological effects such as antibacterial, anti-aging, and antioxidant. To provide scientific support for the use of SPC as a functional food, SPC was evaluated in terms of safety, chemical composition, and antioxidant activity both in vivo and in vitro. In the first, SPC exhibited no adverse cytotoxic effects or acute toxicity in mice. Then the chemical composition of SPC was determined by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ioniza-tion-quadrupole time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS). Twenty-two compounds were identified from the SPC extracts, including phenolic, flavonoid, stilbene, and anthraquinone. Finally, an acute ethanol-induced oxidative stress model in mice showed hepatoprotective effects. In brief, our study indicated that SPC is a safe, multifunctional food with antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities. Importantly, the consumption of SPC as a functional food provides a novel strategy for the efficient utilization of the invasive plant.