Botanical candidates from Saudi Arabian flora as potential therapeutics for Plasmodium infection

Malaria is a lethal parasitic disease affecting over two hundred million people worldwide and kills almost half a million people per year. Until now, there is no curative treatment for this disease that has a substantial morbidity. The available chemotherapeutic agents are unable to completely control the infection with the continuous appearance of drug resistance. Consequently, the search for new therapeutic agents with high safety profiles and low side effects is of paramount importance. Several natural products have been investigated and proven to have antimalarial effects either in vivo or in vitro. A large number of plants have been studied globally for their antimalarial activities. However, studies that have been conducted in this field in Saudi Arabia are not enough. This article presents global and local research on the need for novel natural antimalarial agents with a particular emphasis on studies involving plants from Saudi Arabian flora.     

Timing and abundance of sporangia production and zoospore release influences the recovery of different Phytophthora species by baiting

Analysis of soil samples using High Throughput Sequencing (HTS) frequently detects more Phytophthora species compared with traditional soil baiting methods. This study investigated whether differences between species in the timing and abundance of sporangial production and zoospore release could be a reason for the lower number of species isolated by baiting. Stems of Eucalyptus marginata were inoculated with ten Phytophthora species (P. nicotianae, P. multivora, P. pseudocryptogea, P. cinnamomi, P. thermophila, P. arenaria, P. heveae, P. constricta, P. gondwanensis and P. versiformis), and lesioned sections for each species were baited separately in water. There were significant differences between species in timing of sporangia production and zoospore release. P. nicotianae, P. pseudocryptogea, P. multivora and P. thermophila released zoospores within 8–12 h and could be isolated from lesioned baits within 1–2 days. In contrast, P. constricta did not produce zoospores for over 48 h and was only isolated 5–7 days after baiting. P. heveae and P. versiformis did not produce zoospores and were not recovered from the baits. When species were paired in the same baiting tub, those that produced zoospores in the shortest time were isolated most frequently, while species slow to produce zoospores, or which produced them in lower numbers, were isolated from few baits or not at all. Thus, species differences in the timing of sporangia production and zoospore release may contribute to the ease of isolation of some Phytophthora species when they are present together with other Phytophthora species in an environmental sample.     

The Cytotoxic and Proapoptotic Activities of Hypnophilin are Associated with Calcium Signaling in UACC‐62 Cells

Hypnophilin (HNP) is a sesquiterpene that is isolated from Lentinus cf. strigosus and has cytotoxic activities. Here, we studied the calcium signaling and cytotoxic effects of HNP in UACC‐62 cells, a human skin melanoma cell line. HNP was able to increase the intracellular calcium concentration in UACC‐62 cells, which was blocked in cells stimulated in Ca²⁺‐free media. HNP treatment with BAPTA‐AM, an intracellular Ca²⁺ chelator, caused an increase in calcium signals. HNP showed cytotoxicity against UACC‐62 cells in which it induced DNA fragmentation and morphological alterations, including changes in the nuclear chromatin profile and increased cytoplasmatic vacuolization, but it had no effect on the plasma membrane integrity. These data suggest that cytotoxicity in UACC‐62 cells, after treatment with HNP, is associated with Ca²⁺ influx. Together, these findings suggest that HNP is a relevant tool for the further investigation of new anticancer approaches. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J BiochemMol Toxicol 27:479‐485, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/jbt.21507     

New Natural Noncannabinoid Ligands for Cannabinoid Type-2 (CB2) Receptors

Since the discovery that Δ ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol and related cannabinoids from Cannabis sativa L. act on specific physiological receptors in the human body and the subsequent elucidation of the mammalian endogenous cannabinoid system, no other natural product class has been reported to mimic the effects of cannabinoids. We recently found that N-alkyl amides from purple coneflower (Echinacea spp.) constitute a new class of cannabinomimetics, which specifically engage and activate the cannabinoid type-2 (CB₂) receptors. Cannabinoid type-1 (CB₁) and CB₂ receptors belong to the family of G protein-coupled receptors and are the primary targets of the endogenous cannabinoids N-arachidonoyl ethanolamine and 2-arachidonoyl glyerol. CB₂ receptors are believed to play an important role in distinct pathophysiological processes, including metabolic dysregulation, inflammation, pain, and bone loss. CB₂ receptors have, therefore, become of interest as new targets in drug discovery. This review focuses on N-alkyl amide secondary metabolites from plants and underscores that this group of compounds may provide novel lead structures for the development of CB₂-directed drugs.     

Concentration of Virus from Water by Electro-Osmosis and Forced-Flow Electrophoresis. II. Improvement of Methodology and Application to Tap Water

The ability of the Canalco Model CF-3 electro-osmosis (EO) apparatus to concentrate viruses from artificially seeded distilled water was improved. Modification of the physical arrangement of the equipment allowed for a 10–25 fold increase in concentration efficiency and a concomitant decrease in the process time. The major improvements involved modifications of the cell arrangement (which increased the membrane transport area), a change in the salt replenishing solution and the use of different membranes of higher flux. Viruses concentrated by E0 from seeded tap water resulted in lower recoveries when compared to distilled water. The lower yields were probably due to instability or aggregation of the agents in the menstruum and not directly related to the physical apparatus. Under the conditions used, one could detect virus at levels as low as 0.01 plaque forming units (PFU) per ml of initial input. The efficacy of a modification of the Canalco forced-flow electrophoretic (FFE) system was also evaluated. The maximum potential was applied with a constant value for pump rates. A 6-fold concentration of virus and a 12-fold decrease in water volume was obtained.     

不依赖天然外显子的蛋白质内含子定向进化筛选系统

蛋白质剪接技术为在蛋白质水平上直接对蛋白质进行修饰和加工提供了一种全新的解决方案,因而在蛋白质工程及相关领域具有非常广阔的应用前景。现阶段,大部分天然的蛋白质内含子在异源蛋白质中剪接活性非常低,极大限制了蛋白质内含子的开发和应用。为了开发一个可以同时对蛋白质内含子通用性和剪接活性进行筛选的系统,利用Bsa I限制性内切酶识别位点和切割不重合的特性,将Ter ThyX内含子(不含外显子序列)插入到卡那霉素抗性蛋白基因的多个位点。并且摒弃了以往需要结合天然外显子以实现剪接的方法,可以同时对蛋白质内含子的剪接活性和通用性进行筛选。Western blot结果和卡那霉素平板生长结果表明,通过卡那霉素筛选系统可以精确的将蛋白质内含子剪接反应与卡那霉素抗性结合起来,仅从卡那霉素平板上的菌落生长情况即可完成蛋白质内含子剪接活性阳性突变的筛选,是一个快速,稳定的定向进化筛选系统。     

The case for environmental flow determination for the Phongolo River,South Africa

The construction of Pongolapoort Dam in 1973 on the Phongolo River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has considerably altered the hydrological behaviour and ecological response of the downstream floodplain. Changes in the flooding regime have had implications for the socio-economic importance of the floodplain and for the structure and functioning of its associated wetlands. Previous studies have recommended annual releases of water from the dam to sustain floodplain ecosystem goods and services. The current artificial water releases are limited by the size of the dam's sluices and by the demand for water from the local community. Therefore, water releases do not always follow the original natural flooding regime. To date, the influence of the changed hydrology on the ecology of the Phongolo floodplain system remains poorly known. As a basis for future integrated interdisciplinary research we synthesised the ecological and hydrological work conducted to date on the Phongolo floodplain. We suggest hydro-ecology as an important research direction needed to set environmental flows for the sustainable utilisation and management of the floodplain. Understanding the hydrological behaviour and ecological response of the Phongolo floodplain could help in the implementation of environmental flows by managers at the Department of Water and Sanitation and other stakeholders such as Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.     

锥栗自然居群遗传多样性的ISSR分析

采用20条ISSR分子标记对栗属中国特有种-锥栗(Castanea henryi)的16个自然居群进行了遗传多样性与遗传关系分析。在449份试材上共扩增得到379个位点,其中多态性位点378个,多态性位点百分率(PPL)达99.74%,平均期望杂合度(He)为0.2950,Shannon信息指数(I)为0.4522;居群水平遗传多样性为46.09%,且不同居群遗传多样性水平有较大差异,16个自然居群中以湘西居群的遗传多样性水平最高(PPL=53.30%,He=0.1861,I=0.2781),其次为靖州、庆元、昭通及都江堰居群,南平居群最低(PPL=36.94%,He=0.1202,I=0.1817)。Nei’s遗传多样性和AMOVA分析表明,居群间产生了较大的遗传分化(Gst=0.4466),锥栗自然居群内的遗传变异稍占优势(52.51%)。UPGMA聚类分析将16个锥栗居群分为2大类5亚类。湘西地区可能是锥栗的次生分布中心和现代遗传多样性分布中心,是锥栗研究的资源中心,也是最有价值的基因库,需要重点保护。     

基于红外相机技术对佛坪国家级自然保护区 大熊猫季节性空间分布与活动模式的研究

2015年1月至2017年12月,在陕西佛坪国家级自然保护区海拔1 200~2 500 m的57条大熊猫(Ailuropodamelanoleuca)活动频繁的巡护样线上,布设130台红外相机。累计红外相机有效工作日100 685 d,共拍摄到大熊猫有效独立照片1 831张。将红外相机拍摄的有效照片和相机工作日依据不同竹种类型及保护站归类,对大熊猫季节性空间分布与活动模式进行研究。结果表明:(1)大熊猫春季活动最为频繁,在巴山木竹(Bashania fargesii)林和秦岭箭竹(Fargesia qinlingensis)林中相对多度分别是2.89和3.72;其次是冬季,在巴山木竹林和秦岭箭竹林中的相对多度分别是2.95和2.74。3月份是其活动高峰,巴山木竹林和秦岭箭竹林中的相对多度指数都是最高;11、12和1月份,大熊猫在巴山木竹林中相对多度指数高于秦岭箭竹林;2至10月份,大熊猫在秦岭箭竹林中的相对多度指数都要高于巴山木竹林。(2)大熊猫在佛坪保护区各个保护站均有分布,且存在季节性空间分布差异。三官庙和西河保护站全年的12个月都能够捕获到大熊猫的身影,是大熊猫分布相对多度最高的两个区域,大古坪、岳坝和龙潭子3个保护站海拔较低,大熊猫主要集中在冬春季节活动;凉风垭保护站海拔较高,主要分布的是秦岭箭竹林,大熊猫主要在夏季活动。(3)干扰活动主要包括采集、放牧、旅游、家犬活动和监测5种类型。干扰活动类型在各个保护站存在差异,且多为零星干扰,对大熊猫的活动和分布存在一定影响。本研究较为全面地调查了佛坪国家级自然保护区大熊猫季节性活动动态和区域性分布状况,调查结果可为后期的保护管理提供有效的参考依据。