Prevention of aortic lesions and hyperlipidaemia by alfalfa seed extract in cholesterol fed rabbit

Extract of alfalfa seed (ethanolic 50 % v/v) prevents the development of plaque formation and hyperlipidaemia in cholesterol fed rabbits. It inhibits the elevation of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol/phospholipid ratio, while HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio increases, which is associated with a reduced incidence of atherosclerosis. Further reduction in total cholesterol and phospholipid contents of liver and heart muscle are suggestive of a beneficial role of the seed extract. The possible mechanisms of action are discussed.     

Phylogenetic relationships in theSideritis leucantha group (Lamiaceae)

Six closely related taxa of the sect.Eusideritis of the genusSideritis (S. leucantha, S. pusilla, S. flavovirens, S. granatensis, S. biflora andS. osteoxylla) are analysed to elucidate their phylogenetic relationships and position within the sect.Eusideritis. Meiotic behaviour, karyotype features, size and fertility of pollen grains, DNA amounts and seed protein profiles are reviewed. A polyploid origin of the group (from x = 7) and the further diversification through dysploidy and chromosome repatterning is postulated.S. osteoxylla is apparently of hybrid origin.     

Phylogeny of chromosome races ofFestuca arundinacea andF. mairei (Poaceae) as indicated by seed protein electrophoresis

Seed protein electrophoresis of four chromosomes races ofFestuca arundinacea, F. mairei and their progenitors showed variation in banding patterns. High protein similarities betweenF. arundinacea, F. mairei, F. scariosa, andF. pratensis indicate close phylogenetic relationships of these species. The ancestry ofF. arundinacea cytotypes could be narrowed to three diploid species:F. scariosa, F. pratensis, andF. rubra or to their close relatives.     

Seed germination in Gactaceae

The mode of germination of representatives of 89 genera of the Cactaceae, 4 genera of Portulacaceae and 1 genus of Phytolaccaceae was studied. Most of the species of the Cactaceae germinate by means of a seed lid (operculum). In the Cactaceae studied 11 kinds of germination could be distinguished, 3 of which were with, and 8 without, operculum formation.
Opercula are restricted in their occurrence to the subfamilies Cactoideae (Cereoideae) and Pereskioideae and are not found in the subfamily Opuntioideae. Within the subfamily Cactoideae operculum formation was found to occur in all tribes and in all investigated subtribes. Opercula were also found in two genera of the related family of the Portulacaceae. In the Phytolaccaceae no operculum formation was observed.     

9-Hydroxydodecanoic acid,an acid from Blepharis sindica seed oil

A hitherto unknown hydroxy acid has been isolated from Blepharis sindica seed oil has been characterized as 9-hydroxydodecanoic acid by IR, NMR and mass spectral studies. The structure of this acid was further supported by its chemical transformations.     

Kombic acid,a hydroquinone polyisoprenoic carboxylic acid from Pycnanthus kombo seed fat

The fat of the seeds from the West African tree Pycnanthus kombo contains ca 20% of a hitherto undescribed compound. This compound was identified as 16(2′,5′-dihydroxy-3′-methylphenyl)-2,6,10,14-tetramethyl-2,6,10,14-hexadecatetraenoic acid, for which the name kombic acid is proposed.     

反相高效液相色谱分析种子醇溶贮藏蛋白质鉴定大麦品种(英文)

本文采用反相高效液相色谱(reversedphase high-performance liquid chromatography,RP-HPLC)技术分析了中国种植的24个不同大麦品种的种子醇溶贮藏蛋白质。首先,根据所获得的色谱图的相似性可以将供试品种分成10组,每组各有自己的共同特征色谱峰;其次,再依据各组内不同品种间色谱图的定性或定量上的差异可以将它们分别区别和鉴定;这表明大麦种子醇溶贮藏蛋白质的异质性较强,其组成随基因型的不同而有所变异。因此,应用RP-HPLC技术分析大麦种子醇溶贮藏蛋白质可以准确、快速地对大麦品种进行鉴定。     

胡萝卜人工种子在无菌条件下的贮藏及贮藏中种子活力变化

对用海藻酸钙包埋胡萝卜体细胞胚(0.6—2mm)制作的人工种子进行贮藏研究,发现低温及干燥均能在一定程度上抑制人工种子萌发。失水率达67%的种子,2℃贮藏60天后, 在发芽培养基上发芽率为100%,7天内的成苗率达80%。未经贮藏的对照种子发芽率为100%,成苗率为76%。无论在“种皮”还是在胚胎悬浮培养液中加入脱落酸或香豆素,都能抑制胚的生长,但也促进了胚的衰老。铝箔袋内密闭贮藏期间种子不萌发,但活力下降快。随着贮藏时间的延长,种子的活力指数、脱氢酶活性、氧吸收率都呈下降趋势。     

Buried seed populations on the volcano Mt. Usu,northern Japan,ten years after the 1977–78 eruptions

In 1987, a study on buried seed populations was conducted in the crater basin of Mt. Usu, a volcano located in northern Japan, where the vegetation had beeen almost completely destroyed by eruptions in 1977 and 1978. The former vegetation had consisted of grassland and broad-leaved forest. In the areas formerly occupied by this grassland and forest, 2128.0 and 1985.3 seeds per square meter, respectively, were extracted from 12 blocks of the former topsoil using a floattion method. This revealed that many seeds were still viable even after ten years of burial under thick volcanic deposits. The seeds were distributed more in sandy soil than in rocky soil of the former topsoil. Twenty-five species, most of which favored grassland, were detected in both the former grassland and forest. From comparison of α-and β-diversities between the grassland and forest, the structure of the buried seed population was considered likely to have been more diverse in the forest than in the grassland. The determinants of composition of the buried seed populations were discussed with reference to the former vegetation and soil characteristics.     

Contribution of buried seeds to revegetation after eruptions of the volcano Usu,Northern Japan

Soon after the 1977–78 eruptions of the volcano Usu, there were created many gullies in which former topsoil, i.e., well-developed soil accumulated before the eruptions, was eroded in the crater basin, whereas the outside of the gully was covered with thick volcanic deposits. The short-dispersal-seed plants were the most abundant in the inside of gully where the former topsoil was exposed, however, they have not immigrated from external environments. The germination tests of the seeds extracted from the former topsoil demonstrated that viable seeds were buried at 1683.3/m² for 9 years after the eruptions. At least, 12 herbaceous species, e.g.,Rumex obtusifolius, Geum macrophyllum var.sachalinense andPoa annua, were derived from the buried seeds in the former topsoil. Their contribution to revegetation was estimated to be 40.0% in the inside of gully where the former topsoil was exposed in 1983, suggesting that buried seeds are one of the most important seed source for revegetation even in the case of a volcano which produced pumice and ash by eruption.