外源褪黑素对盐胁迫下紫花苜蓿幼苗抗氧化能力以及光合作用效率的影响

紫花苜蓿为多年生豆科优良牧草,土壤盐碱化是其产量的重要限制因素。该研究以‘中苜1号’紫花苜蓿为材料,在盐胁迫浓度和褪黑素浓度筛选试验基础上,设置盐(150 mmol/L NaCl)和褪黑素(30、50、80μmol/L)单独及复合处理,采用水培根灌褪黑素的方法,探究外源褪黑素对盐胁迫下紫花苜蓿幼苗生长特性、膜透性、渗透调节、抗氧化物酶以及光合作用指标的影响。结果表明:(1)紫花苜蓿幼苗生长受到盐胁迫的显著抑制,而在单独褪黑素处理下无显著变化;各浓度褪黑素处理均可有效缓解盐胁迫对紫花苜蓿生长造成的伤害,并以150 mmol/L NaCl+80μmol/L褪黑素处理(NaCl+MT2)效果最佳,其幼苗根长、根鲜重和根干重分别比盐胁迫处理显著增加了34.52%、41.93%和19.61%。(2)盐胁迫显著增加了紫花苜蓿幼苗细胞膜系统的透性和膜脂过氧化程度,NaCl+MT2处理幼苗叶片的相对电导率和MDA含量分别比盐胁迫处理显著降低了27.18%和30.24%,同时使幼苗叶片的相对含水量显著提高,脯氨酸含量却显著降低,表明外源褪黑素有效缓解了盐胁迫下细胞失水危害和细胞膜损伤的程度。(3)NaCl+MT2处理幼苗叶片的POD和SOD活性分别比盐胁迫处理显著提高31.45%和41.41%,其CAT活性却无显著变化,表明外源褪黑素可显著增强紫花苜蓿幼苗叶片POD、SOD活性,提高其活性氧的清除能力,减轻盐胁迫诱导的过氧化伤害。(4)盐胁迫显著抑制了紫花苜蓿幼苗光合作用效率,而NaCl+MT2处理幼苗叶片的净光合速率、气孔导度和蒸腾速率较盐胁迫处理分别显著增加了30.27%、45.1%、42.15%。研究发现,盐胁迫致使紫花苜蓿幼苗叶片的活性氧积累显著增加,抗氧化物酶活性显著降低,显著降低了其光合作用效率,外源褪黑素通过提高紫花苜蓿的抗氧化能力和光合作用效率来促进幼苗生长,从而增强了紫花苜蓿的耐盐性。     

姜黄素通过抑制凋亡信号调节激酶1减弱PM2.5短期暴露致大鼠子宫损伤

细颗粒物(PM2.5)是空气动力学直径 ≤ 2.5 μm的颗粒物,能诱发多种疾病。已有大量的流行病学调查证实,PM2.5能够损伤生殖系统,但其致病机制不明确,相关的研究也非常有限。为研究PM2.5短期暴露对大鼠子宫的损伤,以及姜黄素（curcumin, CRC）对其保护作用,本研究将50只雌性SD大鼠随机分为生理盐水对照组、PM2.5暴露组、低剂量姜黄素组（PM2.5+CRC-L）、高剂量姜黄素组（PM2.5+CRC-H）和维生素E干预组（PM2.5+VE）,连续暴露30 d。经PM2.5短期暴露,暴露组雌鼠子宫内膜上皮细胞萎缩,组织结构模糊,内膜腺体细胞和基质细胞排列混乱。给予姜黄素和VE后,子宫内膜损伤明显降低。TUNEL检测凋亡结果显示,PM2.5暴露组子宫组织细胞凋亡率 (48.81±8.27)%明显高于对照组凋亡率（P<0.05）。与PM2.5暴露组相比,姜黄素能降低PM2.5诱发的子宫细胞凋亡,且PM2.5+CRC-H组细胞凋亡率(20.79±3.63)%明显低于暴露组（P<0.05）。与对照组相比,PM2.5暴露组子宫组织活性氧（ROS）含量明显升高（P<0.05）,总抗氧化能力（T-AOC）含量明显降低（P<0.05）;给予姜黄素和VE,能不同程度地缓解子宫氧化应激反应。Western印迹结果显示,与PM2.5暴露组相比,姜黄素和VE能够明显抑制因PM2.5暴露诱导的凋亡信号调节激酶1(ASK1)、c-Jun氨基末端激酶(JNK)、p38 蛋白激酶(p38)磷酸化,以及胱天蛋白酶-3（caspase-3）的活化 (P<0.05)。由此可见,姜黄素能够明显减轻PM2.5短期暴露诱发的子宫损伤,这可能与其抑制ASK1介导的JNK-p38-caspase-3细胞凋亡信号通路有关。     

Indices of oxidative stress in pregnancy with fetal growth restriction

Intrauterine fetal growth restriction (IUGR), the main cause of premature delivery and fetal mortality, has been suggested to involve oxidative stress. We found elevated values of indices of oxidative stress in the blood serum of pregnant women with IUGR: increased levels of malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxyalkenals, decreased activity of α-1-antitrypsin and decreased total antioxidant capacity of the serum, with respect to healthy pregnancy. Twenty day treatment with 3 g of l-arginine and 75 mg of acetylsalicylic acid daily resulted in a decrease of the level of lipid peroxidation products and augmentation of α-1-antitrypsin activity. This study confirms the occurrence of oxidative stress in IUGR and demonstrates the beneficial effect of arginine/acetylsalicylic acid therapy in reducing oxidative stress in IUGR.     

DNA damage in response to an Ironman triathlon

The major aims of this study were to investigate the effect of an Ironman triathlon on DNA migration in the single cell gel electrophoresis assay, apoptosis and necrosis in the cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome assay with lymphocytes and on changes of total antioxidant capacity in plasma. Blood samples were taken 2 days (d) before, within 20 min, 1 d, 5 d and 19 d post-race. The level of strand breaks decreased (p<0.05) immediately after the race, then increased (p<0.01) 1 d post-race and declined (p<0.01) until 19 d post-race. Apoptotic and necrotic cells decreased (p<0.01) and the total antioxidant status increased (p<0.01) immediately after the race. The results indicate that ultra-endurance exercise does not cause prolonged DNA damage in well-trained male athletes.     

Environmental Pollution and Relationship Between Total Antioxidant Capacity and Heavy Metals (Pb,Cd, Zn,Mn, and Fe) in Solanum tuberosum L. and Allium cepa L.

In the natural environment, plants are exposed to different stress factors that are responsible for overproduction of reactive oxygen species. Exposure to heavy metals is one of these factors. The present article highlights the correlation between the effects of bioaccumulation of heavy metals in a highly polluted region as the industrial zone of the Thermo Power Plants “Kosova” in Kosovo on the antioxidant capacity of two selected target species: Solanum tuberosum L. and Allium cepa L. The results show that environmental pollution in the industrial zone of the Thermo Power Plants “Kosova” generates a significant bioaccumulation of heavy metals such as Pb, Cd, Zn, Mn, and Fe. The high concentration of heavy metals leads to an increased production of reactive radical species. The extracts of target plants cultivated in this region display a lower antioxidant capacity than the same plants grown in a control rural area. The Fe bioaccumulation markedly influences the antioxidant capacity of plant samples analyzed.     

Implementing a spatial model of Urban Carrying Capacity Load Number (UCCLN) to monitor the environmental loads of urban ecosystems. Case study: Tehran metropolis

The non-linear, unexpected and severe responses of ecosystems to the environmental changes crossing ecological thresholds or environmental limits, necessitate the regular monitoring of the human-induced pressures to the urban ecosystems. The present study aims to introduce a spatial decision support system for sustainable environmental planning and management of urban ecosystems by establishing an Urban Carrying Capacity Load Number model (UCCLN) based on carrying capacity concepts and sustainability principles .This model, by applying 30 temporal and spatial indicators continuously monitors the environmental loads on the urban ecosystems. Environmental load was represented by load number index. It was calculated in each zone of study area (urban districts). Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to establish UCCLN model and Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS). The study area was Tehran metropolis, the capital of Iran. The results showed that none of the 115 urban districts of Tehran had optimal Total Load Number (TLN) ranging from (10 to100); 7 districts (6%) had low-to-medium range of TLN (TLN = 100–200); 11 districts (9.5%) had medium-to-high range (TLN = 200–300); 57 districts (49.5%) had high-to-very high range (TLN = 300–400); 40 districts (34.7%) had the TLN range of very high-to-critical (TLN = 400–500); and none of them had the TLN of 500. Furthermore, the results revealed that Tehran has already overshot its ecological thresholds. Not only most of the 30 indicators of environmental pressure in most of the districts (85%) had high DCC and LN scores, but also most of the 115 districts obtained high DCC, and as a result LN scores. The need for developing more efficient urban planning and management strategies to cope with the increasing environmental loads in the study area is inevitable.     

Experimental and observational evidence reveals that predators in natural environments do not regulate their prey: They are passengers,not drivers

Among both ecologists and the wider community there is a tacit assumption that predators regulate populations of their prey. But there is evidence from a wide taxonomic and geographic range of studies that predators that are adapted to co-evolved prey generally do not regulate their prey. This is because predators either cannot reproduce as fast as their prey and/or are inefficient hunters unable to catch enough prey to sustain maximum reproduction. The greater capacity of herbivores to breed successfully is, however, normally restricted by a lack of enough food of sufficient quality to support reproduction. But whenever this shortage is alleviated by a large pulse of food, herbivores increase their numbers to outbreak levels. Their predators are unable to contain this increase, but their numbers, too, surge in response to this increase in food. Eventually both their populations will crash once the food supply runs out, first for the herbivores and then for the predators. Then an “over-run” of predators will further depress the already declining prey population, appearing to be controlling its abundance. This latter phenomenon has led many ecologists to conclude that predators are regulating the numbers of their prey. However, it is the same process that is revealed during outbreaks that limits populations of both predator and prey in “normal” times, although this is usually not readily apparent. Nevertheless, as all the diverse cases discussed here attest, the abundance of predators and their co-evolved prey are both limited by their food: the predators are passengers, not drivers.     

Distinct composition of human fetal HDL attenuates its anti-oxidative capacity

In human high-density lipoprotein (HDL) represents the major cholesterol carrying lipoprotein class in cord blood, while cholesterol is mainly carried by low-density lipoprotein in maternal serum. Additionally, to carrying cholesterol, HDL also associates with a range of proteins as cargo. We tested the hypothesis that fetal HDL carries proteins qualitatively and quantitatively different from maternal HDL. These differences then contribute to distinct HDL functionality in both circulations. Shotgun proteomics and biochemical analyses were used to assess composition/function of fetal and maternal HDL isolated from uncomplicated human pregnancies at term of gestation. The pattern of analyzed proteins that were statistically elevated in fetal HDL (apoE, proteins involved in coagulation, transport processes) suggests a particle characteristic for the light HDL₂ sub-fraction. In contrast, proteins that were enriched in maternal HDL (apoL, apoF, PON1, apoD, apoCs) have been described almost exclusively in the dense HDL₃ fraction and relevant to its anti-oxidative function and role in innate immunity. Strikingly, PON1 mass and activity were 5-fold lower (p < 0.01) in the fetus, which was accompanied by attenuation of anti-oxidant capacity of fetal HDL. Despite almost equal quantity of CETP in maternal and fetal HDL, its enzymatic activity was 55% lower (p < 0.001) in the fetal circulation, whereas LCAT activity was not altered. These findings indicate that maternally derived HDL differs from fetal HDL with respect to its proteome, size and function. Absence of apoA-1, apoL and PON1 on fetal HDL is associated with decreased anti-oxidative properties together with deficiency in innate immunity collectively indicating distinct HDLs in fetuses.     

Development and set-up of a portable device to monitor airway exhalation and deposition of particulate matter

The aim of this study was to assess and monitor airway exhalation and deposition of particulate matter (PM). After standardizing inspiratory/expiratory flow and volumes, a novel device was tested on a group of 20 volunteers and in a field study on workers exposed to cristobalite. Both male and female subjects showed a higher percentage of deposition in the 0.5?μm channel than in the 0.3?μm channel on a laser particle counter, but it was higher in the males because of their higher exhaled lung volumes. The device was tested on a wider range of particles (0.3–0.5–1.0–2.5?μm) in the cristobalite productive division. The device has low intrasubject variability and good reproducibility, with geometric mean of %CV?相似文献