The uptake of amino acids by the cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens is stimulated by light at low irradiances

The rates of uptake of five amino acids--alanine, glutamate, glycine, leucine and serine--by axenic cultures of the cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens were measured over a range of irradiances using the (14)C-labelled amino acids at the nanomolar concentrations observed in Lake Zürich. The rates in the light exceeded the dark rates by as much as two- to ninefold. The light-affinity constants for stimulation were similar, indicating a similar process for each of the five amino acids. The E(k) (light saturation irradiance) for light stimulation was only 1 micromol m(-2) s(-1), less than the compensation point for photosynthesis and autotrophic growth, and much lower than the E(k) for either process. The E(k) for amino acid uptake was also less than the irradiance at which filaments obtain neutral buoyancy, which determines the depth at which they stratify and the irradiance they receive. This indicates that stimulation of amino acid uptake by light of low irradiances provides a mechanism for supplementing growth of filaments stratifying deep in the metalimnion, which, while able to grow at low irradiances, are often left with insufficient light to sustain them. Acetate uptake was also stimulated by light, but the kinetics differed.     

冬凌草最佳采收期的研究

以冬凌草的分枝数、单墩叶重及叶中冬凌草甲素的含量作为冬凌草药材产量和质量的评价指标,确定了河南淇县野生冬凌草和湖北广水、武汉野转家种冬凌草的最佳采收期,并分析了气象因素对冬凌草药材质量和产量的影响。结果表明：气象因素对引种地与原产地冬凌草的质量没有明显影响,药材叶中冬凌草甲素含量均在6月份左右达到峰值且十分接近;但气象因素对冬凌草产量则有影响,气候不同导致引种地野转家种药材的分枝数比原产地野生药材多2～4倍。综合质量和产量的考察结果,冬凌草的最佳采收期应定在其开花前,引种地武汉宜定在6月份,引种地广水宜定在6～7月份,原产地河南淇县宜定在6～8月份。     

牛尾草中一新的对映-贝壳杉烷型二萜

从牛尾草[Isodon ternifolius(D.Don)Kudo]的地上部分分离得到一个新的对映－贝壳杉烷型二萜,命名为牛尾草素H（1）,通过波谱方法鉴定了它的结构。此外,还分离得到5个已知的对映－贝壳杉烷型二萜化合物：香茶菜醛（2）,长管香茶菜素A,E和G（3－5）,开展香茶菜素E（6）,以及木樨草素（7）,芹菜素（8）,α－香树脂醇（9）,乌索酸（10）和2α－羟基乌索酸（11）。     

细叶香茶菜中两个新的对映—贝壳杉烷二萜化合物

从云南中甸产细叶香茶菜 (Isodontenuifolia (W .W .Smith)Kudo)的地上部分分离得到 6个化合物 ,它们的结构通过波谱方法得到鉴定。其中化合物 1和 2为新的对映_贝壳杉烷二萜化合物 ,即细叶香茶菜甲素 (3β ,6α ,15 β_trihydroxy_1α ,7β_diacetoxy_11β ,16 β_epoxy_ent_kaurane) (1)和细叶香茶菜乙素 (1α,6α ,11β_trihydroxy_3β,7β_diacetoxy_ent_kaur_16_en_15_one) (2 )。     

Amino acid incorporation by a natural population of Oscillatoria rubescens. A microautoradiographic study

Abstract The incorporation of a very low concentration (0.015 μM) of an [³H]amino acid mixture was measured for a natural population of Oscillatoria rubescens DC in samples from a eutrophic lake, Lake Nantua (France).
The kinetics of amino acid incorporation in the size fraction ⩾12 μ m showed that uptake was fast and that the maximum was reached after 4 h.
Microautoradiography demonstrated that Oscillatoria rubescens is able to utilize for protein synthesis an external pool of amino acids whose [³H] label becomes distributed generally throughout the cell.     

冬凌草中一个苯丙醇酯新化合物

通过多种色谱手段,从冬凌草95％乙醇提取物中分离得到一个新化合物。运用多种波谱技术（1D、2D—NMR和MS）,该新化合物鉴定为2-氨基-3-苯丙基2-苯甲酰氨基-3-利胆醇酯（苯丙醇酯）。     

Effect of total flavonoid in rabdosia rubescens on tolerant mice models under cerebral anoxia

ObjectiveTo study the protective effect of total flavonoid in rabdosia rubescens on BIT model by brain ischemic tolerance (hereinafter BIT) model of mice.MethodBIT model is used to block bilateral common carotid arteries and to copy BIT model of mice. After 10 min of transient ischemia for rats in preconditioning group, the mice in the nimodipine group and naoluotong capsule group were given the total flavonoid in rabdosia rubescens (300 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg, 75 mg/kg) for gavage, sham operation group, ischemia/reperfusion injury (hereinafter IRI) group and BIT group were fed with the same volume of 0.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) once a day for 5 days. After administration for 1 h on day 5 (120 h), the rats in the other groups except for the sham operation group were treated with blood flow block for 30 min and reperfusion for 22 h. The serum NSE level were measured and the brain NO content and NOS activity changes was measured to observe the histopathological changes of brain tissue.ResultsBIT models of mice and in rats were both successfully replicated. The total flavonoid in rabdosia rubescens can decrease the mortality of mice, decrease serum NSE level, increase the content of NO and the activity of NOS in the brain tissue of mice, and improve the pathological damage of cortex and hippocampus of mice.ConclusionThe total flavonoid in rabdosia rubescens can stimulate an endogenous protective mechanism by inducing the release of low levels of cytokines NO and NOS, which reduces the release of serum NSE, relieves the brain tissue ischemia-reperfusion injury, and further improves the protection effect of ischemic preconditioning on brain injury. The damage of brain tissue ischemia and reperfusion, and further improve the ischemia Protective effect of preconditioning on brain injury.     

Investigations of anticholinestrase and antioxidant potentials of methanolic extract,subsequent fractions,crude saponins and flavonoids isolated from Isodon rugosus

Background

Based on the ethnomedicinal uses and the effective outcomes of natural products in various diseases, this study was designed to evaluate Isodon rugosus as possible remedy in oxidative stress, alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Acetylecholinestrase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activities of crude methanolic extract (Ir.Cr), resultant fractions (n-hexane (Ir.Hex), chloroform (Ir.Cf), ethyl acetate (Ir.EtAc), aqueous (Ir.Aq)), flavonoids (Ir.Flv) and crude saponins (Ir.Sp) of I. rugosus were investigated using Ellman’s spectrophotometric method. Antioxidant potential of I. rugosus was determined using DPPH, H₂O₂ and ABTS free radicals scavenging assays. Total phenolic and flavonoids contents of plant extracts were determined and expressed in mg GAE/g dry weight and mg RTE/g of dry sample respectively.

Results

Among different fractions Ir.Flv and Ir.Cf exhibited highest inhibitory activity against AChE (87.44 ± 0.51, 83.73 ± 0.64%) and BChE (82.53 ± 0.71, 88.55 ± 0.77%) enzymes at 1 mg/ml with IC₅₀ values of 45, 50 for AChE and 40, 70 μg/ml for BChE respectively. Activity of these fractions were comparable to galanthamine causing 96.00 ± 0.30 and 88.61 ± 0.43% inhibition of AChE and BChE at 1 mg/ml concentration with IC₅₀ values of 20 and 47 μg/ml respectively. In antioxidant assays, Ir.Flv, Ir.Cf, and Ir.EtAc demonstrated highest radicals scavenging activities in DPPH and H₂O₂ assays which were comparable to ascorbic acid. Ir.Flv was found most potent with IC₅₀ of 19 and 24 μg/ml against DPPH and H₂O₂ radicals respectively. Whereas antioxidant activates of plant samples against ABTS free radicals was moderate. Ir.Cf, Ir.EtAc and Ir.Cr showed high phenolic and flavonoid contents and concentrations of these compounds in different fractions correlated well to their antioxidant and anticholinestrase activities.

Conclusion

It may be inferred from the current investigations that the Ir.Sp, Ir.Flv and various fractions of I. rugosus are good sources of anticholinesterase and antioxidant compounds. Different fractions can be subjected to activity guided isolation of bioactive compounds effective in neurological disorders.