Ferricyanide reductase of rose plasma membranes is regulated by nitrogen supply

Summary The ability of suspension-cultured rose (Rosa damascena Mill. cv Gloire de Guilan) cells to reduce ferricyanide is decreased by 50% during an overnight incubation in a low-nutrient (1 mM CaCl₂, 0.1 mM KCl) solution. This loss is not observed when nitrate and/or glutamate is added to the low-nutrient medium, but it occurs in medium containing all the components needed for normal growth except nitrate plus glutamate. Thus, the cells possess both constitutive and inducible enzymes for the reduction of ferricyanide, and nitrate or glutamate is both necessary and sufficient to stimulate the production of the inducible enzyme.     

Effectiveness of Green Tea Tannin on Rats with Chronic Renal Failure

The effects of green tea tannin on nephrectomized rats were examined. There were increases in blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and urinary protein, and a decrease in creatinine clearance in the nephrectomized control rats, whereas better results for these parameters were obtained in rats given green tea tannin after nephrectomy, demonstrating a suppressed progression of the renal failure. When the renal parenchyma was partially resected, the remnant kidney showed a decrease in the activity of radical scavenger enzymes. Green tea tannin, however, was found to lighten the kidney under such oxidative stress. Mesangial proliferation and glomerular sclerotic lesions, which were conspicuous in the rats that were not given green tea tannin after nephrectomy, were also relieved.     

Group versus population level demographics: An analysis of comparability using long term data on wild white‐faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus imitator)

Primates have long been used as indicator species for assessing overall ecosystem health. However, area‐wide census methods are time consuming, costly, and not always feasible under many field conditions. Therefore, it is important to establish whether monitoring a subset of a population accurately reflects demographic changes occurring in the population at large. Over the past 35 years, we have conducted 15 area‐wide censuses in Sector Santa Rosa, Costa Rica. These efforts have revealed important trends in population growth patterns of capuchin monkeys following the protection and subsequent regeneration of native forests. During this same period, we have also intensively studied a subset of the capuchin groups. Comparing these two datasets, we investigate whether the population structures of the closely monitored groups are reliable indicators of area‐wide demographic patterns. We compare the overall group size and the individual age/sex class compositions of study groups and nonstudy groups (i.e., those contacted during area‐wide censuses only). Our study groups contained more individuals overall with a larger proportion of infants, and there were indications that the proportion of adult and subadult males was lower. These differences can be ascribed either to sampling errors or real differences attributable to human presence and/or better habitat quality for the study groups. No other sex/age classes differed, and major demographic changes were simultaneously evident in both study and nonstudy groups. This study suggests that the Santa Rosa capuchin population is similarly impacted by large‐scale ecological patterns observable within our study groups.     

Aqueous infusions of mediterranean herbs exhibit antioxidant activity towards iron promoted oxidation of phospholipids,linoleic acid,and deoxyribose

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been widely known to inflict biological damage upon a variety of biological sites. The ability to counteract any such activity has been the subject of this work, in an attempt to comprehend prooxidant metal ion induced oxidation and its possible physiological consequences. Five Mediterranean aqueous herb infusions have been employed in the investigation of possible pro/antioxidant activity promoted by prooxidant iron ions. In the presence of phospholipid liposomes or linoleic acid micelles or 2-deoxy-d-ribose, it was shown that all of the aqueous infusions used exhibited antioxidant activity in comparison to the iron control. The antioxidant activity, studied on 2-deoxy-d-ribose, at three concentration levels in each herb, appears to be dose dependent, albeit non-linear. The total polyphenol content of the investigated herb infusions, however, does not directly correlate with the observed antioxidant activity. The variable, yet effective, antioxidant capacity of the aqueous infusions indicates that their antioxidant components can quench ROS generating activity, brought on different substrates and likely arisen by variable mechanisms involving different ROS.     

Techniques for Universal Evaluation of Astringency of Green Tea Infusion by the Use of a Taste Sensor System

A practical method for universal evaluation of the astringency of green tea infusion by a taste sensor system was established. The use of EGCg aqueous solution as a standard enabled analysis with high accuracy and reproducibility. The sensor output was converted into taste-intensity on the basis of Weber’s and Weber-Fechner laws, which was named the “EIT _ast ” value (“EIT” and “ast” are abbreviations for “Estimated Intensity of Taste” and “astringency” respectively). It was clarified that green tea infusion is to be classified into eight grades on the EIT _ast scale. Furthermore, the high correlation of the EIT _ast value with the human gustatory sense and the high stability of the taste sensor were proved.     

Isolation of a psychrotolerant Debaryomyces hansenii strain from fermented tea plant (Camellia sinensis) leaves

Abstract

A psychrotolerant, halotolerant and alkalophilic yeast was isolated from fermented leaves of Camellia sinensis Kuntze, the tea plant. The yeast strain, named Tea-Y1, was both phenotypically and genotypically identified as belonging to the species Debaryomyces hansenii. This assignment was confirmed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The analysis of growth curves demonstrated the ability this yeast strain to grow in a temperature range between 4°C and 28°C, with an optimum of 23°C. The ecology of this yeast in the C. sinensis phyllosphere, as well as its possible role in tea fermentation and storage, with particular reference to iced tea, are discussed.     

Hypotriacylglycerolemic and Antiobesity Properties of a New Fermented Tea Product Obtained by Tea-Rolling Processing of Third-Crop Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) Leaves and Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) Leaves

We manufactured a new fermented tea by tea-rolling processing of third-crop green tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves and loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) leaves. The mixed fermented tea extract inhibited pancreatic lipase activity in vitro, and effectively suppressed postprandial hypertriacylglycerolemia in rats. Rats fed a diet containing 1% freeze-dried fermented tea extract for 4 weeks had a significantly lower liver triacylglycerol concentration and white adipose tissue weight than those fed the control diet lacking fermented tea extract. The activity of fatty acid synthase in hepatic cytosol markedly decreased in the fermented tea extract group as compared to the control group. The serum and liver triacylglycerol- and body fat-lowering effects of the mixed fermented tea extract were strong relative to the level of dietary supplementation. These results suggest that the new fermented tea product exhibited hypotriacylglycerolemic and antiobesity properties through suppression of both liver fatty acid synthesis and postprandial hypertriacylglycerolemia by inhibition of pancreatic lipase.     

Evaluation of total contents of Al,As, Ca,Cd, Fe,K, Mg,Ni, Pb,Zn and their fractions leached to the infusions of different tea samples. A multivariate study

ABSTRACT

Total aluminum, arsenic, calcium, cadmium, iron, lead, potassium, magnesium, nickel and zinc were determined in black tea by electro thermal atomic absorption spectrometry after ultrasonic assisted pseudo-digestion with mixture of acid and oxidant. All the metals were also determined in the tea infusions in order to know the percentage of each element leached into the liquor. A conventional acid digestion on electric hot plate was used to obtain total metals under study for comparative purpose. Analytical results for Al, As, Ca, Cd, Fe, K, Mg, Ni, Pb and Zn obtained by ultrasound assisted pseudodigestion, and conventional wet digestion methods showed a good agreement, thus indicating the possibility of using ultrasonic assisted digestion sample preparation instead of intensive treatments inherent with the acid digestion methods on electric hot plate. The validity and accuracy of both procedures were checked by using certified sample of NIES No. 7 (Tea Leaves). Non significant differences were observed for P>0.05 when comparing the values obtained by both methods (paired t-test).

Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied in order to determine the different amount of metals as main sources of variability in the data sets and to establish the relation between samples (branded and nonbranded tea samples) and micronutrient, trace and toxic metals (variables). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to explore the different branded and nonbranded tea samples grouping according to the essential and toxic metals as additional information to the out put obtained by PCA.