Analysis of steryl glucosides in rice bran-based fermented food by LC/ESI-MS/MS

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.steroids.2020.108605

Steryl glucosides (SGs) and acylated steryl glucosides (ASGs) are phytochemicals found in plant-based foods and are known as bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. These include anti-inflammatory properties, anti-diabetic effects, and modulation of immunoregulatory functions as well as having cholesterol lowering effects. In this study, three major SGs, i.e., glucosides of β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and campesterol, were synthesized and used as standards for measurement of their contents in rice bran (RB)-based fermented food (FBRA) utilizing Aspergillus oryzae and raw material (RM). The compounds were quantified using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. It was found that β-sitosteryl glucoside was most abundant among the analyzed glucosides in both samples, and the contents of each SG in FBRA decreased about 35% from those of RM. In contrast to SGs, the contents of ASGs in FBRA increased 1.5-fold during the fermentation process as evidenced by an alkaline hydrolysis. The present results suggest that the FBRA might have greater beneficial effects than the RM, since ASGs have shown to have more potent cholesterol lowering effects and stronger anti-diabetic properties than SGs.

Full text of DOI:10.1016/j.steroids.2020.108605

Journal Pre-proofs
Analysis of steryl glucosides in rice bran-based fermented food by LC/ESI-
MS/MS
Tsuyoshi Murai, Shigeki Jin, Mari Itoh, Yukiko Horie, Tatsuya Higashi,
Shigeo Ikegawa
PII:
S0039-128X(20)30030-1
DOI:
Reference:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.steroids.2020.108605
STE 108605
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Steroids
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Revised Date:
Accepted Date:
5 September 2019
25 December 2019
14 February 2020
Please cite this article as: Murai, T., Jin, S., Itoh, M., Horie, Y., Higashi, T., Ikegawa, S., Analysis of steryl
glucosides in rice bran-based fermented food by LC/ESI-MS/MS, Steroids (2020), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.steroids.2020.108605
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Analysis of steryl glucosides in rice bran-based fermented food by LC/ESI-MS/MS
Tsuyoshi Muraia, Shigeki Jinb, Mari Itohc, Yukiko Horiec,d, Tatsuya Higashid, Shigeo
Ikegawae,†
aSchool of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Science University of Hokkaido, Kanazawa,
Tobetsu, Hokkaido 061-0293, Japan
bDepartment of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita
15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8638, Japan
cKoken Co. Ltd., 329, Nakagoya, Tobetsu, Hokkaido 061-0211, Japan
dFaculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda,
Chiba 278-8510, Japan
eGenmaikoso Co. Ltd., Kita 12, Nishi 1, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0012, Japan
†To whom correspondence should be addressed.
E-mail: ikegawa@genmaikoso.co.jp (S. Ikegawa)
1

Abstract
Steryl glucosides (SGs) and acylated steryl glucosides (ASGs) are phytochemicals
found in plant-based foods and are known as bioactive compounds with potential health
benefits. These include anti-inflammatory properties, anti-diabetic effects, and modulation
of immunoregulatory functions as well as having cholesterol lowering effects. In this study,
three major SGs, i.e., glucosides of β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and campesterol, were
synthesized and used as standards for measurement of their contents in rice bran (RB)-based
fermented food (FBRA) utilizing Aspergillus oryzae and raw material (RM). The
compounds were quantified using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem
mass spectrometry. It was found that β-sitosteryl glucoside was most abundant among the
analyzed glucosides in both samples, and the contents of each SG in FBRA decreased about
35% from those of RM. In contrast to SGs, the contents of ASGs in FBRA increased 1.5-
fold during the fermentation process as evidenced by an alkaline hydrolysis. The present
results suggest that the FBRA might have greater beneficial effects than the RM, since ASGs
have shown to have more potent cholesterol lowering effects and stronger anti-diabetic
properties than SGs.
Key words steryl glucoside, acylated steryl glucoside, rice bran, fermentation, Aspergillus
oryzae, LC/ESI-MS/MS
2

Introduction
Plant sterols (phytosterols) are one of the main constituents of plant membranes,
playing important roles in cell membrane stability and in signal transduction [1]. Dietary
phytosterols, on the other hand, can occur in plant-derived foods in multiple forms -- as free
sterols, steryl esters (esterified to fatty acids or hydroxycinnamic acids, such as ferulic acid
or p-coumaric acid), and as glucosidic conjugates composed of steryl glucosides (SGs) and
acylated (also termed as esterified) steryl glucosides (ASGs) [2]. In SGs, one glucose
moiety binds at the 3β-hydroxy group of the sterol core, forming β-glucosides. Conjugates
with other monosaccharides, (e.g., galactose, xylose, and mannose) and oligosaccharides
have also been described [3]. When SGs are esterified by a fatty acid presumably at the C6
position of the sugar moiety, it gives rise to ASGs [4]. The structural diversity of SGs and
ASGs has been reviewed extensively [3]. Several biological effects of these glucosides in
human and animals are known, including anti-inflammatory [5] and anti-diabetic effects [6]
as well as reduction of intestinal cholesterol absorption [7-9], modulation of
immunoregulatory functions [10], and anticancer effects [11], suggesting their therapeutic
application in some chronic diseases.
Rice (Oryza sativa), one of the world’s three major grains, serves as the staple food for
almost half of the global population, usually in the form of polished rice. Nonetheless,
brown rice (BR) is recognized for its nutritional superiority over that of polished rice because
BR contains both embryo and bran, which have various nutritional and bioactive compounds,
e.g., vitamin Bs (vitamin B2, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and biotin), minerals
(sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and iron), phytic acid, ferulic acid, γ-oryzanol, fat, dietary
fiber, good vegetable proteins, as well as phytosterols. Therefore, many nutritionists
recommend consuming BR, rather than polished rice. Although BR has superior nutritional
3

properties, many people prefer polished rice because of its cooking ease and superior texture.
To overcome these problems of BR, rice bran (RB, the outer coating of the rice kernel)-based
fermented food (FBRA) was introduced. The FBRA is produced by solid-state
fermentation of a mixture of RB (main material) and BR with Aspergillus oryzae (A. oryzae)
and is mainly consumed in Japan and less commonly in Korea, Malaysia, Canada, and the
United States. The FBRA has a much better eating-quality than BR and has been reported
to have preventive properties in experimental colitis induced by sodium dextran sulfate [12]
as well as to increase the number of lactobacilli species in the rat intestine [13]. FBRA also
influences the development of acute hepatitis in Long-Evans Cinnamon rats [14], as well as
chemical or inflammation-related carcinogenesis in rodents [15], and induces apoptotic death
of colorectal tumor HCT 116 cells [16] and human acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells [17].
These beneficial effects along with the biological effects of SGs and ASGs described above
have led to the widening consumption of FBRA for people especially outside of Japan with
the hope of preventing chronic disease due to the consumption of Western-style diet,
characterized by high intake of red meat, animal fat, sweets, and desserts and low intake of
fresh fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products.
However, the exact mechanisms responsible for these biological actions of FBRA still
remain to be solved. Therefore, it is important to examine the chemical profile of various
beneficial compounds in FBRA for verification of the wealth of functional ingredients
generated by fermentation, and to insure quality control during FBRA preparation for a
marketed product.
In our previous studies, it was shown that the amounts of some bioactive and health-
enhancing chemicals, such as ferulic acid (which is known as a strong antioxidant), increased
as a result of fermentation [18, 19]. We also demonstrated that the content of spermidine
(which is known to have a preventive effect in age-related diseases) increased 158% after
4

fermentation with A. oryzae, whereas the contents of analogous polyamines, such as
putrescine and spermine, decreased [20].
During the last decade, solid-state fungal fermentation process of RB was extensively
studied [21]. The main results achieved concerned the increase of protein content and
antioxidant activity. Apart from proteins, fibers and minerals, RB is a good source of lipids,
which can reach up to 20% of its weight. Fermentation with A. oryzae or Rizopus oryzae
significantly increased palmitic and linoleic acid contents, causing a decrease in saturated
fatty acids and an increase in unsaturated fatty acids [22, 23], thus improving the overall
nutritional quality. These findings along with our previous observations led us to wish to be
able to measure the changes in the contents of SGs and ASGs by fermentation with A.
oryzae, because the fermentation has been proven as a very feasible option to enhance
nutritional and functional features of RB. We therefore, aimed to analyze the contents of
SGs and ASGs in FBRA and RM.
To date, liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry
(LC/ESI-MS/MS) is widely used for the identification and quantification of SGs in foods due
to its high sensitivity and selectivity [24-26]. The SGs and ASGs in FBRA have never been
isolated and characterized. Here we describe the quantification of glucosidic conjugates of
three major sterols (Fig. 1) in FBRA and raw material (RM) by LC/ESI-MS/MS. The
changes in the ASG contents after fermentation were also examined by carrying out an
alkaline hydrolysis prior to LC/ESI-MS/MS.
5

2. Experimental
2.1. Materials
Stigmasterol (purity 97.0%), β-sitosterol (purity 97.0%), and campesterol (purity
97.0%) were purchased from Tama Biochemical Co. Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan). Cholesterol
(purity 96%) was obtained from FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Co. (Osaka, Japan).
2,3,4,6-Tetra-O-acetyl-α-D-glucopyranosyl bromide was obtained from Toronto Research
Chemicals (Toronto, Canada). Cadmium carbonate was freshly prepared [27] and dried
under vacuum before use. Silica gel plates (Merck F254) and silica gel 60 (spherical,
neutral) from Kanto Chemical Co., Inc. (Tokyo) were used for thin layer and column
chromatography, respectively. 2-Propanol, methanol and ammonium formate of HPLC
grade were purchased from Kanto Chemical Co. Inc. An Oasis® HLB cartridge (adsorbent
weight, 60 mg) was provided by Waters Co. (Milford, MS, USA) and was successively
conditioned by washing with methanol and H2O prior to use. All other chemicals and
solvents were of analytical grade and obtained from Nacalai Tesque Inc. (Kyoto, Japan).
Water from a Millipore water filtration system (Milli Q UV Plus, Darmstadt, Germany) was
used to prepare the aqueous solutions described below.
2.2. Apparatus
Melting points (mp) were determined on a micro hot-stage apparatus and are
uncorrected. 1H- and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of syteryl glucoside
tetra-acetates were recorded on a JNM-ECA-500 (LEOL Ltd., Tokyo) at 500 MHz and at
125 MHz with CDCl3, respectively. 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra of syteryl glucosides were
recorded on an AMX500 (Bruker Inc., Rheinstetten, Germany) at 500 MHz and 126 MHz
with pyridine-D5 were recorded, respectively; chemical shifts are expressed as  ppm relative
6

to tetramethylsilane. The 13C distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer spectra
were also measured to determine the 1H signal multiplicity and to differentiate between CH3,
CH2, CH, and C based on their proton environments. The 1H- and 13C-NMR chemical shift
assignments of SGs and their acetates are tabulated in Tables S1 - S4. Electron ionization
(EI) low-resolution mass spectra (LR-MS) were obtained using an Auto Spec 3000 mass
spectrometer (Micromass UK Limited, Wythenshawe, Manchester, UK). High-resolution
(HR)-mass spectrometry measurements were performed on an Orbitrap mass spectrometer
(Thermo Scientific Exactive, San Jose, CA, USA). Measurement conditions of ESI-
Orbitrap-MS were as follows: ion source voltage, 3 kV; capillary temperature, 300°C;
capillary voltage, 27.5 V; tube lens voltage, 110V; skimmer voltage, 45V; sample injection,
flow-injection (flow rate of 100 μL/min); solvent, methanol.
2.3. LC/ESI-MS/MS
LC/ESI-MS/MS was performed using a Sciex 4000QTRAP LC/MS/MS System (Sciex,
Concord, Ontario, Canada) equipped with an ESI interface and an Agilent 1200 LC-
chromatograph (Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA). LC separations were conducted
using a reversed-phase semi-micro column, Kinetex XB-C18 (2.6 μm particles, 50 mm × 2.1
mm i.d.) from Phenomenex (Torrance, CA, USA) by an isocratic elution with methanol-2-
propanol-H2O (9:1:1, v/v/v) containing 5 mM ammonium formate at a flow rate of 350
μL/min. The SGs were analyzed in the positive-ion mode. The MS/MS conditions were
as follows: ion spray voltage, 4.5 kV; collision energy, 21 V (β-sitosteryl glucoside) or 19 V
(stigmasteryl glucoside, campesteryl glucoside, and cholesteryl glucoside [internal standard
(I.S.)]); nebulizer gas (N2), source gas 1, 30 psi, source gas 2, 60 psi and curtain gas setting,
20 psi; ion source temperature, 200°C. The selected reaction monitoring (SRM) transitions
(precursor and product ions) were m/z 594 → 397 (β-sitosteryl glucoside), m/z 592 → 395
7

(stigmasteryl glucoside), m/z 580 → 383 (campesteryl glucoside), and m/z 566 → 369 (I.S.).
2.4. Syntheses of authentic steryl glucoside standards and cholesteryl glucoside
2.4.1 General method
SGs and cholesteryl glucoside were synthesized using the Köenigs-Knorr reaction [25].
To a solution of sterol (0.07-0.19 mmol) in benzene (3 - 4 mL) was added cadmium
carbonate (0.36 mmol) as catalyst and 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α-D-glucopyranosyl bromide
(0.18 mmol), and the mixture was refluxed for 2 h. After filtration of the mixture, the
solvent of the filtrate was removed in vacuo and the crude product obtained was purified by
column chromatography on a silica gel using n-hexane-ethyl acetate (3:1, v/v) or benzene-
ethyl acetate (6:1, v/v) as an eluant. This was followed by deacetylation with 2 M KOH in
a mixed solvent of methanol (3 mL) and tetrahydrofuran (3 mL) by refluxing for 6 hr. After
neutralization with 2 M HCl and dilution with water, the product was extracted with ethyl
acetate, washed with saturated solution of NaCl, dried over anhydrous Na2SO4, and
evaporated to dryness. The crude product was purified by column chromatography on a
silica gel using CHCl3-methanol (7:1, v/v) as an eluant. The structures of the synthesized
authentic glucosides were verified by 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra (Supporting Information
Tables S1-S4) and HR-MS. The data of the synthesized -sitosteryl glucoside, stigmasteryl
glucoside, and cholesteryl glucoside were in line with those of the literatures [25, 28, 29].
2.4.2. β-Sitosteryl glucoside (1)
The compound (1) was obtained from β-sitosterol as a colorless solid (methanol):
yield 35 mg (51%). Mp, 254.1-257.3°C (decomp.); LR-MS: m/z 396.4 [M-glucose]+, 255.2
[M-glucose-side chain]+, 147.1; HR-MS: m/z 599.42859 (found) m/z 599.42821 (calcd. for
8

C35H60O6Na [M+Na]+)
2.4.3. Stigamasteryl glucoside (2)
The compound (2) was obtained from stigmasterol as a colorless solid (ethanol): yield
20 mg (18%). Mp, 254.1-253.3°C (decomp.); LR-MS: m/z 394.4 [M-glucose]+, 255.2 [M-
glucose-side chain]+; HR-MS: m/z 597.41288 (found); m/z 597.41256 (calcd. for C35H58O6Na
[M+Na]+)
2.4.4. Campesteryl glucoside (3)
The compound (3) was obtained from campesterol as a colorless solid (ethanol):
yield 20 mg (57%). Mp, 261.5°C (decomp.); LR-MS: m/z 382.4 [M-glucose]+, 255.2 [M-
glucose-side chain]+, 147.1; HR-MS: m/z 585.41295 (found), m/z 585.41256 (calcd. for
C34H58O6Na [M+Na]+).
2.4.5. Cholesteryl glucoside (4)
The compound (4) was obtained from cholesterol as a colorless solid (methanol):
yield 45 mg (31.2%). Mp, 261.5°C (decomp.); LR-MS: m/z 368.3 [M-glucose]+, 255.2 [M-
glucose-side chain]+, 147.1; HR-MS: m/z 571.39661(found) m/z 571.39691 (calcd. for
C33H56O6Na [M+Na]+):
2.5. FBRA and RM samples
The BR was harvested by contracted farmers in Hokkaido, Japan in 2018, and RB was
manufactured by a factory in Hokkaido. The FBRA was produced by the fermentation of
blended RB and BR with A. oryzae in Koken Co. Ltd. (Tobetsu, Hokkaido) according to the
established procedure: see reference [20] for further details. The RM sample contained
9

only the unfermented RB and BR.
2.6. Analysis of SGs and ASGs in FBRA and RM
The sample (FBRA and RM, 10 mg each) was subjected to an extraction in CHCl3-
methanol (2:1, v/v) (1 mL) by stirring at ambient temperature (ca. 20°C) for 24 h. After
centrifugation (2000 × g, 3 min), the supernatant was diluted with methanol (10 mL) and was
further diluted to a tenth part with methanol. The resulting diluted solution (named RBRA-
extract or RM-extract) was used for analysis of intact SGs and total SGs (intact SGs plus SGs
released by alkaline hydrolysis of ASGs) as described below.
2.6.1 Analysis of intact SGs
A 200 μL aliquot of the FBRA-extract or RM-extract (equivalent to FBRA and RM, 20
g each) was mixed with a 20 μL aliquot of I.S. solution, and the solvent was evaporated to
dryness under a gentle stream of N2 gas at room temperature. The residue was suspended in
H2O, and then applied to an Oasis HLB® cartridge. After washing with H2O (4 mL), the
SGs and I.S. were eluted with methanol (4 mL). After evaporation of the solvents under a
gentle stream of N2 gas at room temperature, the residue was redissolved in 50 μL of mobile
phase, and a 1 μL aliquot was injected to the LC/ESI-MS/MS system.
2.6.2 Analysis of total SGs (sum of SGs and ASGs)
A 100 L aliquot of the FBRA-extract or RM-extract (equivalent to FBRA and RM, 10
g each) was mixed with a 20 μL aliquot of I.S. solution, and the resulting solution was
treated with 1 M KOH in methanol (250 μL) at 37 oC for 1h [29]. After evaporation of
methanol, the residue suspended in H2O was neutralized with 1 M HCl, and then applied to
solid phase extraction using an Oasis HLB® cartridge. After the usual work-up described
10

above, a 1 μL aliquot was injected into the LC/ESI-MS/MS system.
2.7. Method validation
Stock solutions of each SG were prepared using methanol as solvent at the
concentration of 100 nmol/mL. Standard solutions were prepared by dilution of the stock
solutions with methanol to give concentrations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 pmol/mL.
The I.S. solution at a concentration of 100 pmol/mL was prepared gravimetrically in
methanol. All the solutions were stored at -4oC or below, and allowed to equilibrate at
room temperature for at least 15 min before use. In the calibration study, a 100 μL aliquot
of each standard solution was mixed with 20 μL of the I.S. solution; the mixture was
evaporated to dryness under a gentle stream of N2 gas. The residue was redissolved in 100
μL of mobile phase, and 1 μL of this solution was injected into the LC/ESI-MS/MS system.
The calibration curves were constructed by plotting the peak area ratio of each SG to I.S.
against the amount of SG. As the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was defined as the
lowest amount of calibration (ICH-guideline) [30], the LLOQ was calculated on the most
intense transition, with the criterion of a signal-to noise ratio exceeding 10.
In order to assess matrix effects, FBRA samples were extracted using the assay
procedure described above. After extraction, the extracts were spiked with defined amounts
of standard solution (400 or 2000 nmol/g samples). Matrix effects were assessed by
comparing the peak areas of spiked extract samples to those of samples containing only
standard solutions. Matrix effects were defined as (A-A0 / B) × 100 (%), where A is the peak
area of SGs in the spiked extract sample, A0 is the peak area of SGs in the unspiked extract
sample and B is the peak area of SGs in standard solutions.
Analytical recoveries (%) were obtained with the test samples (n = 5), in which the test
samples were prepared as follows; the FBRA extract was diluted to fourfold with methanol,
11

and then 10, 50, 100 pmol of reference SGs and I.S. (20 pmol) was added to the resulting
solution (1 mL). A 100 μL aliquot of test sample was subjected to LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis
according to the method described in Section 2.6.2. The amounts of the SGs in the added
and nonadded samples were defined as F and F0, respectively, and the analytical recoveries
were calculated as [F / {(F0+ amount of added SG}] × 100 (%).
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Authentic SG standards
For the ongoing characterization of SGs, standard reference specimens were a crucial
prerequisite. Although all the SGs are commercially available, they are very expensive and
campesteryl glucoside is available as a mixture of four SGs. We, therefore, synthesized the
selected SGs, β-sitosteyl, stigmasteryl, campesteryl, and cholesteryl glucosides (I. S.) (Fig. 1)
using pure sterols as starting materials to secure sufficient amounts of reference SGs for not
only analysis in this study but also future experiments on the pharmacological and biological
study according to the reported method [25]. These SGs were obtained in a satisfactory
yield and good purity by two-step synthesis from free sterols. Common reaction byproducts
(orthoester), remaining substrates, and excess reagents were separated by column
chromatography using silica gel from the crude mixtures to yield pure peracetylated β-
glucosides. The β-glucosidic character of these intermediates was proven by 1H-NMR
analysis to give a characteristic doublet for the anomeric proton H-1’ (J = 7.6 Hz) (Tables
S1-S2). Final deacetylation for the sugar moieties was achieved with methanolic KOH in
an almost quantitative manner [29]. In total, three SGs as well as I.S. were synthesized and
unequivocally verified by spectroscopic and spectrometric means (NMR, LR- and HR-MS).
The NMR data for SGs are given in the Supporting Information (Tables S3 - S4). All the
SGs were very unstable under EI-MS; the glucose residue was readily eliminated. The
12

fragment carbocation derived to scission C9/C11 leading to the formation of fragment ion at
m/z 147 which may be rationalized by a charge-remote [2+2+2]-cycloreversion reaction of
the C-ring, which was also found in the study using ESI [26]. As reported, the formation of
the fragment ion at m/z 255 was rationalized by elimination of side chain from the fragment
carbocation [26].
The formation of major product ions of the SGs under positive-ion ESI-MS/MS on the
QTRAP mass spectrometer was also interpreted. The typical collision-induced dissociation
spectra of the SGs are shown in Fig. 2. The spectra of all the SGs showed [M-glucose]+ as
the base peak along with a moderate cationized molecules with the ammonium adduct
([M+NH4]+) and weak protonated molecule ([M+H]+), indicating the covalently condensed
product of sterol and glucose.
3.2. LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of SGs
The chromatographic conditions, especially the composition of mobile phase, were
optimized through several trials to achieve good resolution and symmetrical peak shapes for
the analytes, as well as minimizing the run time. Modifiers such as ammonium acetate and
ammonium formate alone or with combination in different concentrations, were added. It
was found that an isocratic elution with methanol-2-propanol-H2O (9:1:1, v/v/v) containing 5
mM ammonium formate could achieve this purpose and it was finally adopted as a mobile
phase. The concentration of ammonium formate was optimized to maintain well-resolved
peaks while being consistent with good ionization in the mass spectrometer. After careful
comparison of several columns, a Kinetex XB-C18 column (2.6 μm, 50 mm x 2.1 mm i.d.)
was finally used with a flow rate of 350 μL/min to produce good peak shapes and permit a
run time of 3.0 min. Fig. 3A shows typical SRM chromatograms of authentic SGs. All
the SGs were well separated.
13

The calibration curves were constructed with 8 points according to ICH guidelines [30].
Each calibration curve, as determined by linear regression analysis, exhibited good linearity
with correlation coefficients of 0.999 within the range of 1- 200 pmol/mL. The slope of the
regression lines was reproducible with the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) values less
than 1.4%. The LLOQ of each SG was 1 pmol/mL.
To examine the matrix effects, the post extraction addition experiment was performed.
The matrix effects were assessed by comparing the peak areas of spiked FBRA extracts to
those of samples containing only standard stock solutions. The relative peak areas of SGs
were 96.3 - 105.0% with R.S.D values of less than 6.3% (Table 1). The results showed that
no significant ion suppression or enhancement effects were observed.
A solid-phase extraction protocol was used for the extraction of SGs with or without
alkaline hydrolysis prior to LC/ESI-MS/MS analysis, as has been used by others for this
purpose [24, 25]. The recovery rates through the assay procedure described in Section
2.6.1. were tested by adding known amounts of SGs to FBRA-extract. The analytical
recoveries of SGs were 94.6% - 102.4% of the added amounts of their standard samples with
R.S.D. value less than 7.8% (Table 2) and the absolute recovery rate of the I.S. from FBRA-
extract was 94.4 ± 2.9 % (Mean ± S.D., n=10).
3.3. Application to FBRA and RM samples
The developed method was applied to FBRA and RM samples. Typical SRM
chromatograms of a sample obtained from FBRA are shown in Fig. 3B. All SGs were
detected and well separated without any interferences. The results of assay are summarized
in Table 3. The total and intact glucoside contents in FBRA and RM did not significantly
differ from lot to lot, where the quantitatively most important SG was β-sitosteryl glucoside
followed by stigmasteryl glucoside and campesteryl glucoside. The overall composition in
14

FBRA, with 74.8% β-sitosteryl glucoside, 15.0% stigmasteryl glucoside, 10.2% campesteryl
glucoside, were comparable with 76%, 15.2%, and 8.8% for those in RM. Particular
interest is the observation of the decreased SG contents in FBRA compared to RM (Fig. 4A).
In contrast to SGs, the calculated amounts of ASGs (total SGs minus intact SGs) in FBRA
were significantly higher than those of RM (Fig. 4B), suggesting the acylation of the 6’-
hydroxy group of glucose core in SGs with various molecular species of fatty acids during
fermentation. Thus, the contained amounts of SGs and ASGs were symmetrically changed
by the fermentation, and the total contents of glucosides (sum of SGs and ASGs) were not
significantly different between FBRA and RM. These results suggested that acylation of
SGs occurred during the fermentation by acyltransferase excreted from A. oryzae.
It has been reported that ASGs lower cholesterol absorption in mice [7], and reduce
blood cholesterol levels and the risk of arteriosclerosis in obese Japanese men [8] and post-
menopausal Vietnamese women [9]. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that the molecular
species of ASG isolated from pre-germinated BR stimulate Na+/K+ ATPase activity, which is
an important contributing role in the anti-diabetes, and the SGs liberated by alkaline
hydrolysis of ASGs lose this enzyme activator activity [4]. It has also shown that ASGs
may affect pancreatic β-cells through the activation of an insulin-like growth factor 1-
dependent mechanism, together with the activation of homocysteine-thiolactonase activity
[6]. These findings suggest that the FBRA might have much more cholesterol lowering
effect and stronger anti-diabetic properties than the RM (RB) because the ASG contents are
enriched by the fermentation with A. oryzae.
4. Conclusions
In this study, we determined three major SGs in FBRA and RM by the newly developed
LC/ESI-MS/MS method with the aid of synthesized standard samples. The contents of
15

ASGs were also determined using an alkaline hydrolysis step. The results showed that the
quantitatively most important SG was β-sitosteryl glucoside followed by stigmasteryl
glucoside and campesteryl glucoside. Decreases of SGs and increases of ASGs after
fermentation of RB-based material with A. oryzae were observed. ASGs have been
reported to have more potent cholesterol-lowering and antidiabetic effects than SGs [6, 8, 9].
The results obtained in this study indicate that the fermentation of RB with A. oryzae is an
approach to enrich the ASG contents, therefore, the FBRA might be a new functional food
for prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. Further studies to clarify an unknown peak
appeared in SRM chromatogram (m/z 592 → 395), which could be one of monosaccharide-
conjugated phytosterols, will be conducted in a near future.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported in part by research funding from Koken Co. Ltd
(Hokkaido, Japan). The funding sponsor had no role in the design of the study; in the
collection, analyses or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the
decision to publish the results. We thank emeritus professor Dr. Alan F. Hofmann
(University of California, CA, USA) for help in the manuscript preparation.
Abbreviations
SGs, steryl glucosides; ASGs, acylated steryl glucosides; RB, rice bran; FBRA, rice
bran-based fermented food; BR, brown rice; A. oryzae, Aspergillus oryzae; LC/ESI-MS/MS,
liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry; mp, melting
points; 1H-NMR, proton nuclear magnetic resonance; SRM, selected reaction monitoring;
RM, raw material; EI, electron ionization; LR-MS, low-resolution mass spectra
20

Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Authors’ contribution
SI conceived the project and supervised research work, and manuscript preparation. TM,
MI, YH carried out experimental work, data collection, evaluation. SJ performed NMR
studies. TH helped in study design and drafted the final version. All authors read and
approved the final manuscript for publication.
Supporting Information for Manuscript:
Analysis of steryl glucosides in rice bran-based fermented food by LC/ESI-MS/MS
Tsuyoshi Muraia, Shigeki Jinb, Mari Itohc, Yukiko Horiec,d, Tatsuya Higashid, Shigeo
Ikegawae,†
aSchool of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Science University of Hokkaido, Kanazawa,
Tobetsu, Hokkaido 061-0293, Japan
bDepartment of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita
15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8638, Japan
cKoken Co. Ltd., 329, Nakagoya, Tobetsu, Hokkaido 061-0211, Japan
dFaculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda,
Chiba 278-8510, Japan
eGenmaikoso Co. Ltd., Kita 12, Nishi 1, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0012, Japan
Supplementary data for 1H and 13C chemical shifts of glucosides are available as Table S1,
S2, S3 and S4 with free of charge on the Web.
21

Figure legends
Figure 1. Chemical structures of β-sitosteryl glucoside (1), stigmasteryl glucoside (2),
campesteryl glucoside (3), and cholesteryl glucoside (4, I.S.).
Figure 2. Product ion spectra obtained by CID of the [M+NH4]+ of β-sitosteryl glucoside
(1), stigmasteryl glucoside (2), campesteryl glucoside (3), and cholesteryl glucoside (4, I.S.).
Figure 3. Typical SRM chromatograms of standard SGs (A) and SGs in FBRA (B).
Figure 4. Changes in the contents of SGs (A) and ASGs (B) in RM and FBRA. Bars
represent the mean of 5 lots. A paired t-test was used for statistical significance.
22

Highlights
● Four steryl glucosides (SGs) were synthesized using Köenigs-Knorr reaction.
● An LC/ESI-MS/MS method was developed for determination of SGs.
● SGs in rice bran-based fermented food were determined by the developed method.
● Fermentation brought the decrease of steryl glucoside contents.
● Fermentation brought the increase of acylated steryl glucoside contents.
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Table 1
Matrix effects for SGs and I.S.
Content
nmol/g
Relative Peak Area
Glucoside
(%, Mean ± S.D., n = 6)
β-Sitosteryl glucoside
Stigmasteryl glucoside
Campesteryl glucoside
Cholesteryl glucoside (I.S.)
400
2000
400
96.3 ± 3.2 (3.3)
98.4 ± 4.6 (4.7)
98.8 ± 6.3 (6.4)
102.5 ± 4.3 (4.2)
104.6 ± 6.1 (5.8)
105.0 ± 3.2 (3.0)
101.9 ± 4.0 (3.9)
2000
400
2000
800
S.D., standard deviation. Values in parentheses represent R.S.D. (%)
Table 2
Analytical recoveries of SGs from FBRA-extracts
Recovery (%, Mean ± S.D., n = 5)
Content
Content
Content
400 nmol/g
2000 nmol/g
4000 nmol/g
β-Sitosteryl glucoside
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Intra-assay
Inter-assay
97.1 ± 7.6 (7.8)
95.7 ± 1.8 (1.9)
97.7 ± 5.7 (5.8)
97.9 ± 2.5 (2.6)
97.5 ± 3.3 (3.4)
98.6 ± 4.6 (4.7)
Stigmasteryl
glucoside
Intra-assay
Inter-assay
96.6 ± 3.8 (3.9)
94.6 ± 1.6 (1.7)
96.4 ± 4.7 (4.9)
97.3 ± 0.5 (0.5)
101.1 ± 3.3 (3.3)
102.4 ± 3.9 (3.8)
Campesteryl
glucoside
Intra-assay
Inter-assay
99.0 ± 5.1 (5.2)
95.0 ± 2.4 (2.5)
98.4 ± 4.3 (4.4)
97.8 ± 0.7 (0.7)
101.3 ± 3.9 (3.8)
101.0 ± 1.0 (1.0)
S.D., standard deviation. Values in parentheses represent R.S.D. (%).
Table 3
Contents (nmol/g) of SGs and ASGs in FBRA and RM
Stigmasteryl
-Sitosteryl
Lot
Glucoside
Acylated
Glucoside
Acylated
A
B
Glucoside
A
B
Glucoside
1
2
3
FBRA
RM
660.1
829.7
650.0
555.5
643.1
250.3
564.6
266.2
343.2
243.0
409.8
265.1
383.8
212.3
400.1
128.7
158.4
131.2
113.6
123.6
51.2
105.9
50.0
70.2
55.1
77.5
52.5
81.2
43.4
68.5
FBRA
RM
FBRA
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RM
691.4
759.0
383.7
319.7
307.7
439.3
146.9
144.0
83.3
61.7
63.6
82.3
4
5
FBRA
RM
717.1
421.4
295.7
137.4
81.5
55.9
FBRA
RM
802.7
292.0
510.7
146.6
58.1
88.5
719.6
408.1
311.5
142.8
79.9
62.9
FBRA
RM
703.0 ± 65.3
702.7 ± 87.7
274.2 ± 28.3
424.2 ± 75.1
428.7 ± 50.1
278.5 ± 41.2
134.8 ± 8.9
139.8 ± 14.8
55.2 ± 4.3
84.2 ± 11.8
79.6 ± 7.4
55.7 ± 8.3
Mean ± SD
A, Content of total SG; B, Content of intact SG; Content of ASG = A – B.
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