Biological activities and chemistry of saponins from Chenopodium quinoa Willd.

Chenopodium quinoa Willd. is a valuable food source which has gained importance in many countries of the world. The plant contains various bitter-tasting saponins which present an important antinutritional factor. Various triterpene saponins have been reported in C. quinoa including both monodesmosidic and bidesmosidic triterpene saponins of oleanolic acid, hederagenin, phytolaccagenic acid, and serjanic acid as the major aglycones and other aglycones as 3β-hydroxy-23-oxo-olean-12-en-28-oic acid, 3β-hydroxy-27-oxo-olean-12-en-28-oic acid, and 3β, 23α, 30β-trihydroxy-olean-12-en-28-oic acid. A tridesmosidic saponin of hederagenin has also been reported. Here we review the occurrence, analysis, chemical structures, and biological activity of triterpene saponins of C. quinoa. In particular, the mode of action of the mono- and bidesmosidic triterpene saponins and aglycones are discussed.     

Crop/weed gene flow:Chenopodium quinoa Willd. andC. berlandieri Moq.

Introduction of the Andean grain chenopod (Chenopodium quinoa) into North America placed this crop within the distributional range of a related wild species,C. berlandieri. This wild species, native to the North American flora, is cross-compatible withC. Quinoa. Isozyme analysis of progeny fromC. berlandieri plants growing within and at the periphery of theC. Quinoa fields, combined with fertility assessment and phenetic comparison among putative hybrids and parental types, indicates that over 30% of progeny from wild plants growing as weeds withC. quinoa in 1987 were crop/weed hybrids. This high incidence of interspecific gene flow from crop to weed appears to be the result of asymmetric pollen flow to free-living plants from high-density cultivated populations. The observed level of crop/weed hybridization, combined with heterosis and partial fertility of F₁ crop/weed hybrids, suggests that repeated annual cycles ofC. quinoa cultivation within the North American range ofC. berlandieri could produce introgressive change among sympatric wild populations. In terms of risk assessment for biotechnology, these results suggest that the breeding system may not provide an accurate indication of the potential for genetic interaction among predominately self-pollinating grain crops and their free-living relatives.     

NaCl胁迫对藜麦幼苗生长和抗氧化酶活性的影响

以国内首个藜麦自育品种"陇藜1号"为材料,采用温室盆栽法,以蒸馏水处理作为共同对照(CK),分别用100、200、300、400和500mmol/L NaCl水溶液处理藜麦种子和盆栽幼苗,通过测定种子萌发指标及处理后第5、10、15天藜麦幼苗叶片叶绿素、可溶性糖、脯氨酸、MDA含量及抗氧化酶活性,分析NaCl胁迫对藜麦生长发育及其生理特性的影响,探讨藜麦的耐盐生理机制。结果表明:(1)随NaCl浓度的升高,藜麦种子发芽率、发芽势、发芽指数和活力指数先升高后下降,且在200 mmol/L NaCl处理下种子各发芽指标均达到最高,比CK分别升高了6.40%、28.18%、20.77%和30.91%。(2)随NaCl浓度的升高,藜麦幼苗根部和茎部生长均受到抑制,且茎部生长受到抑制程度大于根部。(3)随NaCl浓度的升高和处理时间的延长,藜麦幼苗叶片叶绿素含量先升高后下降,可溶性糖、脯氨酸和MDA含量逐渐升高,SOD、POD、CAT和APX活性增强。研究发现,低浓度盐胁迫处理可增加藜麦幼苗叶片内渗透调节物质含量,增强抗氧化酶活性,清除多余活性氧,从而促进幼苗根系生长,提高幼苗耐旱性;初步推断藜麦耐盐阈值为200~300mmol/L NaCl。     

Leaf extract of neem (Azadirachta indica) alleviates adverse effects of drought in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) plants through alterations in biochemical attributes and antioxidants

The influence of varying concentrations (0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 % v/v) of neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf extract on drought stressed (40 % field capacity) quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) plants was assessed. During the current study two cultivars of quinoa (V7 and V9) were used. This study revealed that water stress adversely affects the fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots as well as chlorophyll pigments (a and b) of both quinoa cultivars. In contrast, drought stress enhanced glycinebetaine (GB), free proline, phenolic content, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) enzymes, and relative membrane permeability (RMP). However, application of neem leaf extract improved the accumulation of key osmoprotectants like proline, GB and activities of enzymatic antioxidants. Our findings showed 5 % neem leaf extract is an effective treatment in counteracting the oxidative damage caused by water stress, thereby improving overall plant growth. Of both cultivars of quinoa, the response of cv. V9 to stress as well as foliar applied neem was relatively more promising.     

Songbirds using crops planted on farmland as cover for game birds

We counted songbirds in crops planted on shooting estates specifically for game management purposes on farmland in Britain and elsewhere in Europe. Winter game crops provide cover and feed areas for pheasants Phasianus colchicus and red-legged partridge Alectoris rufa, while summer game crops are designed to provide brood-rearing cover for these species. In central and southern England, 30 plots of winter game crops, either kale, quinoa or cereal up to 2 ha in area, and 30 adjacent arable-field plots, were surveyed for birds up to six times at monthly intervals during the winter 1997–1998. In the Scottish lowlands, six plots of summer game crops up to 4 ha in area, and adjacent arable fields were surveyed in summer 1999 or 2000. The winter game plots contained more than ten songbirds per hectare in most months, while the adjacent arable-field plots contained less than one. In all three winter game crop types, songbird numbers declined significantly in the second half of the winter while numbers in the arable fields did not. Of the 26 species recorded in the winter game crops, 10 have undergone rapid decline over the last 30 years. Considering these declining species alone, the winter game crops still contained more individuals than the adjacent arable fields throughout the winter. Densities in both the kale and quinoa were higher than in the cereal game crop. The six summer game crops sampled in mid-summer contained on average 2.9 songbirds per hectare, while the adjacent arable fields contained 0.4. Of the 14 species recorded in these summer game crops, eight have undergone rapid or moderate declines over the last 30 years. Although winter and summer game crops are planted in relatively small plots and hence concentrate birds, these plots are widely planted and our results suggest that they benefit birds on farmland.     

Properties of quinoa and oat spaghetti loaded with carboxymethylcellulose sodium salt and pregelatinized starch as structuring agents

Spaghetti based on quinoa or oat were manufactured using two different structuring agents, carboxymethylcellulose sodium salt (CMC) and pregelatinized starch at three different percentages (0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3% and 10%, 20%, 30%, respectively). The dough rheological properties were determined using a capillary rheometer, the mechanical characteristics of dry spaghetti by a dynamic mechanical analyzer and the sensorial parameters by a trained panel. Elongational and shear viscosity declined or increased when CMC was added to quinoa and oat based dough, respectively. The stress at break for dry non-conventional spaghetti increased for oat spaghetti added with CMC and pregelatinized starch, whereas decreased for quinoa spaghetti. The sensorial parameters of dry and cooked spaghetti in quinoa and oat base were strongly affected by addition of CMC and pregelatinized starch as it was not possible to produce spaghetti in base either quinoa or oat without using the tested structuring agents.     

Purification,structural elucidation and in vivo immunity-enhancing activity of polysaccharides from quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) seeds

ABSTRACT

Quinoa crude polysaccharides (QPS) were extracted from Chenopodium quinoa Willd. The soluble non-starch polysaccharide fraction (QPS1) was subsequently purified by DEAE-52 cellulose and Sephadex G-50 gel chromatography, using QPS as raw materials. Its chemical structure was identified using FT-IR, NMR, AFM, SEM and Congo red staining. High performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC) was used to determine molecular weight, and composition by HPLC. QPS1, with a molecular weight of 34.0 kDa, was mainly composed of mannose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, xylose and arabinose at a molar ratio of 2.63:2.40:1.64:6.28:1.95:2.48:5.01. In addition, we evaluated the ameliorative effects of QPS1 on the improvement of anti-cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppression in ICR mice. The result exhibited significantly immune-enhancing activity: QPS1 successfully improved the content of IFN-γ, IL-6, IFN-ɑ, IgM and lysozyme (LYSO) in serum for three weeks, enhanced the phagocytic function of mononuclear macrophages and ameliorated delayed allergy in mice.     

Genome-wide identification,characterization and expression analysis of the LIM transcription factor family in quinoa

Lim family members play an important role in the regulation of plant cell development and stress response. However, there are few studies on LIM family in quinoa. In this study, we identified nine LIMS (named cqlim01-cqlim09) from quinoa, which were divided into three subfamilies (α Lim1, γ lim2 and δ lim2) according to phylogeny. The differences in gene structure and motif composition among different subfamilies have been observed. In addition, we studied the repetitive events of the members of the family. The Ka/Ks (non synchronous substitution rate / synchronous substitution rate) ratio analysis showed that the repetitive CqLIMs probably experienced purifying selection pressure. Promoter analysis showed that the family genes contained a variety of hormones, stress and tissue-specific expression elements, and protein interactions showed that these genes had actin stabilizing effect. In addition, QRT PCR results showed that all CqLIM genes were positively regulated under three stresses (low temperature, salt and ABA). These results provide a theoretical basis of further study of LIM gene in quinoa. Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-00988-2.