Functional compounds in fermented buckwheat sprouts

Fermented buckwheat sprouts (FBS) are used as multifunctional foods. Their production process includes fermentation with lactic acid bacteria. The major strains were found to include Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus pentosus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, and Pediococcus pentosaceus in an investigation of the lactic acid bacteria. We searched for the functional components, and nicotianamine (NA) and 2″-hydroxynicotianamine (HNA) were identified as angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. NA and HNA increased during fermentation. Indole-3-ethanol was identified as an antioxidant (a SOD active substance), and may have been generated from tryptophan during fermentation because it was not contained in green buckwheat juice. A safety test demonstrated that FBS contained were safe functional food components, showing negative results in buckwheat allergy tests. Any buckwheat allergy substances might have been degraded during the fermentation process.     

Bilirubin as an antioxidant in micelles and lipid bilayers: its contribution to the total antioxidant capacity of human blood plasma

The antioxidant capacities, antioxidant activities, k(inh), and stoichiometric factors, n, of water-soluble derivatives of bilirubin (BR), BR-human serum albumin (BR-HSA), and BR-ditaurate disodium conjugate (BRC) were determined in aqueous/lipid dispersions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles/methyl linoleate and in bilayers of dilinoleoylphosphatidylcholine (DLPC) during initiation by water-soluble azo-bis-amidinopropane dihydrochloride (ABAP). The inhibition rate constants for BRC and BR-HSA were similar in micelles (k(inh) approximately 1.3 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1)), where n approximately 2, whereas the k(inh) for BR-HSA dropped by (1/2) in bilayers. The dimethyl ester of bilirubin (BRDE) gave a k(inh) only one-tenth that of the vitamin E analog, pentamethylhydroxychroman (PMHC) in SDS micelles/methyl linoleate when initiated by lipid-soluble azo-bis-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile (DMVN). Biliverdin hydrochloride (BVHCl) was NOT an effective peroxyl radical-trapping agent in the micellar phase during initiation by ABAP or DMVN containing methyl linoleate but it inhibited oxygen uptake in the aqueous phase. Both BRC and BR-HSA extended the total radical antioxidant parameter (TRAP) of human blood plasma and their contribution to TRAP was in the range of 5-10% of the natural TRAP of blood plasma, depending on the BR content determined in the blood plasma.     

Estimating contribution of anthocyanin pigments to osmotic adjustment during winter leaf reddening

The association between plant water stress and synthesis of red, anthocyanin pigments in leaves has led some plant biologists to propose an osmotic function of leaf reddening. According to this hypothesis, anthocyanins function as a solute in osmotic adjustment (OA), contributing to depression of osmotic potential (Ψ_π) and maintenance of turgor pressure during drought-stressed conditions. Here we calculate the percent contribution of anthocyanin to leaf Ψ_π during OA in two angiosperm evergreen species, Galax urceolata and Gaultheria procumbens. Both species exhibit dramatic leaf reddening under high light during winter, concomitant with declines in leaf water potential and accumulation of solutes. Data previously published by the authors on osmotic potential at full turgor (Ψ_π,100) of G. urceolata and G. procumbens leaves before and after leaf reddening were used to estimate OA. In vivo molar concentrations of anthocyanin, glucose, fructose, and sucrose measured from the same individuals were converted to pressure equivalents using the Ideal Gas Law, and percent contribution to OA was estimated. Estimated mean OA during winter was −0.7 MPa for G. urceolata and −0.8 MPa for G. procumbens. In vivo concentrations of anthocyanin (3–10 mM) were estimated to account for ∼2% of OA during winter, and comprised <0.7% of Ψ_π,100 in both species. Glucose, fructose, and sucrose combined accounted for roughly 50 and 80% of OA for G. urceolata and G. procumbens, respectively, and comprised ∼20% of Ψ_π,100. We observed that a co-occurring, acyanic species (Vinca minor) achieved similar OA without synthesizing anthocyanin. We conclude that anthocyanins represent a measurable, albeit meager, component of OA in red-leafed evergreen species during winter. However, due to their low concentrations, metabolic costliness relative to other osmolytes, and striking red color (unnecessary for an osmotic function), it is unlikely that they are synthesized solely for an osmoprotectant role.     

Effect of the daily ingestion of a purified anthocyanin extract from grape skin on rat serum antioxidant capacity

The aim of this work was to study the effect of the daily ingestion of a purified anthocyanin extract from red grape skin on rat serum antioxidant capacity (ORAC) and its safety for the intestinal epithelium. The study was carried out in rats orally administered with the extract for 10 days in either normal physiological conditions or exposed to a pro-oxidant chemical (CCl(4)). The oral administration of the extract significantly (P<0.05) enhanced the ORAC value of the deproteinised serum of about 50 % after 10 days of ingestion. Anthocyanin administration was also able to reverse completely the decrease in the serum ORAC activity induced by the CCl(4) treatment. Experiments with Ussing chamber mounted intestine allowed to exclude any toxicity of the extract for the intestinal epithelium. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that the purified anthocyanin extract from red grape skin enhances the total antioxidant capacity of the serum in either normal physiological condition or during oxidative stress induction, revealing a protective role against the decrease in the serum antioxidant capacity induced by a pro-oxidant compound.     

荞麦种子萌发期多种抗氧化酶活性的研究

通过研究荞麦种子萌发期(0～7 d)超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、过氧化物酶(POD)和抗坏血酸过氧化物酶(ASP)四种抗氧化酶的酶活性变化,以及对自由基等的清除效果,分析荞麦种子内在抗氧化酶系统在萌发期对细胞膜结构的修复及保护作用。实验结果表明:荞麦种子在萌发期产生的活性氧、自由基等对四种抗氧化酶均有激活效应,其中超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性最先上升,其他三种酶随其后被激活,四种酶的氧化反应存在一定关联性和协同作用。苦荞的抗氧化酶活性高于甜荞。     

FtMYB18 acts as a negative regulator of anthocyanin/proanthocyanidin biosynthesis in Tartary buckwheat

Plant Molecular Biology - FtMYB18 plays a role in the repression of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins accumulation by strongly down-regulating the CHS and DFR genes in Tartary buckwheat, and the...     

An anthocyanin marker for direct visualization of plant transformation and its use to study nitrogen-fixing nodule development

Journal of Plant Research - The development and functioning of the nitrogen fixing symbiosis between legume plants and soil bacteria collectively called rhizobia requires continuous chemical...     

Differences in responsivity of original cupric reducing antioxidant capacity and cupric-bathocuproine sulfonate assays to antioxidant compounds

The cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) method using bathocuproine sulfonate (BCS) as cuprous-chelating ligand claims to be an efficient substitute for the conventional CUPRAC assay using neocuproine; however, differences in their physical chemistry give rise to significantly varying responsivities to antioxidant compounds. The antioxidant capacity due to β-carotene (in acetone or dichloromethane) was fully measurable by conventional CUPRAC but not at all by cupric-BCS assay. Furthermore, CUPRAC exhibits distinctly stronger responses than cupric-BCS to naringenin, α-tocopherol, and bilirubin.     

Amino acids and plasma antioxidant capacity

Summary Amino acids antioxidant capacity has been investigated and compared with the chain-breaking antioxidant activity of known compounds as ascorbic acid and Trolox. Basic and acidic amino acids and most of neutral ones showed no antioxidant capacity. On the contrary, tryptophan, tyrosine, cysteine and homocysteine showed antioxidant ability at concentrations which are within the usually reported physiological ranges.These findings are discussed in connection with the antioxidant capacity ascribed to plasma proteins, as human serum albumin.     

Increased thermogenic capacity of brown adipose tissue under low temperature and its contribution to arousal from hibernation in Syrian hamsters

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is thought to play a significant physiological role during arousal when body temperature rises from the extremely low body temperature that occurs during hibernation. The dominant pathway of BAT thermogenesis occurs through the β(3)-adrenergic receptor. In this study, we investigated the role of the β(3)-adrenergic system in BAT thermogenesis during arousal from hibernation both in vitro and in vivo. Syrian hamsters in the hibernation group contained BAT that was significantly greater in overall mass, total protein, and thermogenic uncoupling protein-1 than BAT from the warm-acclimated group. Although the ability of the β(3)-agonist CL316,243 to induce BAT thermogenesis at 36°C was no different between the hibernation and warm-acclimated groups, its maximum ratio over the basal value at 12°C in the hibernation group was significantly larger than that in the warm-acclimated group. Forskolin stimulation at 12°C produced equivalent BAT responses in these two groups. In vivo thermogenesis was assessed with the arousal time determined by the time course of BAT temperature or heart rate. Stimulation of BAT by CL316,243 significantly shortened the time of arousal from hibernation compared with that induced by vehicle alone, and it also induced arousal in deep hibernating animals. The β(3)-antagonist SR59230A inhibited arousal from hibernation either in part or completely. These results suggest that BAT in hibernating animals has potent thermogenic activity with a highly effective β(3)-receptor mechanism at lower temperatures.     

提高复合型产絮菌F2-F6产絮能力的驯化方法

为了提高复合型产絮菌F1-F6的产絮能力,采用贫富营养交替的方法,利用发酵法生物制氢反应器排放的废液连续驯化复合型产絮菌F1-R。试验结果表明,此驯化方法可以有效地促进复合型产絮菌F1-R利用生物制氢废液产絮,絮凝率由11.4％提高到92．4％。调节高岭土悬浊液pH值的顺序对絮凝率有较大影响,后调节pH值比先调可以获得更高的絮凝率。生物絮凝剂与无机絮凝剂AlCl3结合有更好的絮凝效果。     

荞麦及其野生种遗传多样性分析

荞麦起源于我国西南地区,该地区分布有大量荞麦地方品种和野生近缘种。本研究利用SSR分子标记,对从我国西南地区收集的81份荞麦及其野生资源进行遗传多样性分析。结果显示,利用19对SSR引物共检测出84个等位基因,每对SSR引物平均扩增出4.421个等位基因,19对SSR引物的平均Shannon's信息指数为0.985,平均PIC为0.478。81份荞麦及其野生资源的相似系数范围为0.500~1.000,分析发现大粒组荞麦种(甜荞及其近缘种、苦荞及小米荞、金荞)与小粒组硬枝万年荞亲缘关系比较近。通过聚类分析在遗传相似系数为0.732时,可将81份荞麦种质分为4个类群,第Ⅰ类由小粒组齿翅野荞、细柄野荞、小野荞麦、疏穗小野荞麦和硬枝万年荞组成;第Ⅱ类由甜荞和甜荞近缘种组成;第Ⅲ类都是由金荞组成;第Ⅳ类是由苦荞和小米荞组成。在遗传系数为0.920时,小粒组荞麦种可以明显区分出疏穗小野荞麦、硬枝万年荞、齿翅野荞及其细柄野荞。研究表明,19对SSR引物多态性较高,能较好反应荞麦及其野生种质的遗传多样性,本研究的结果为荞麦属种之间的亲缘关系分析和荞麦起源进化研究提供科学依据。     

Oxidative damage to proteins and decrease of antioxidant capacity in patients with varicocele

To examine oxidative damage to blood proteins in the spermatic vein and seminal plasma antioxidant capacity of patients with varicocele, 30 young male patients with varicocele (group 1), 25 young male patients with subclinical varicocele (group 2), and 15 normal young males without varicocele (group 3) were recruited in this study. Varicocele and subclinical varicocele were confirmed by physical examination and Doppler ultrasonography. Blood samples were drawn from peripheral and spermatic veins before varicocelectomy. Plasma protein carbonyls were measured by a spectrophotometric assay after reacting with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine. Protein thiols and ascorbic acid of seminal plasma were measured by spectrophotometric methods. We found that plasma protein carbonyls in the spermatic veins were significantly higher than those of corresponding peripheral veins in all 30 patients in group 1 and 12 patients in group 2 receiving varicocelectomy. Protein carbonyls in the spermatic veins of patients with varicocele (3.72 +/- 0.56 nmole/mg protein) and patients with subclinical varicocele (3.50 +/- 0.30 nmole/mg protein) were found to be higher than those of the control (2.35 +/- 0.33 nmole/mg protein). Protein thiols were 0.97 +/- 0.96, 1.50 +/- 0.89, and 3.49 +/- 0.81 nmole/ml, and ascorbic acid levels were 1.87 +/- 0.42, 2.13 +/- 0.24, and 2.38 +/- 0.07 mg/dl, in seminal plasma of the patients in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Seminal plasma protein thiols and ascorbic acid levels in group 1 were significantly lower than those in groups 2 and 3, respectively. These results indicate that oxidative stress in the patients with varicocele and subclinical varicocele was higher than that of the control. We suggest that plasma protein carbonyls, and protein thiols and ascorbic acid of seminal plasma are useful markers for the assessment of oxidative stress in patients with varicocele and subclinical varicocele.     

自交可育甜荞、金苦荞、米苦荞不同品系总黄酮、粗蛋白及其蛋白组分含量研究北大核心CSCD

为探究荞麦新品种的营养保健价值,该文对自交可育甜荞、金苦荞、米苦荞共56个不同品系荞麦种子的粗蛋白、总黄酮、蛋白组分含量及其果实性状的变异进行了研究。结果表明:(1)甜荞、金苦荞、米苦荞种子中粗蛋白含量平均值分别为13.19%、15.44%、11.75%,总黄酮含量平均值分别为0.14%、2.50%、2.09%,清蛋白含量的平均值分别为5.22%、6.13%、4.56%,球蛋白含量的平均值分别为1.29%、1.15%、0.91%,醇溶蛋白含量的平均值分别为0.42%、0.58%、0.55%,谷蛋白含量的平均值分别为2.66%、3.36%、2.80%,三种荞麦的蛋白组分均符合清蛋白>谷蛋白>球蛋白>醇溶蛋白。(2)果实性状中,甜荞果实千粒重、果实面积、果实直径的变异系数最大,米苦荞果实周长、果实长宽比、果实长、果实宽和50 mL容重的变异系数最大。(3)相关分析表明甜荞种子粗蛋白含量与果实长宽比、果实长,金苦荞种子粗蛋白含量与果实周长、果实长,米苦荞种子粗蛋白含量与果实宽、总黄酮含量与果实面积、果实宽、果实直径、50 mL容重的相关性均达到了显著或极显著水平。(4)该研究筛选出甜荞(1808-166贵甜2号优系)、金苦荞(多苦74、多苦78)、米苦荞(1906-136黑米荞麦、43-2)等高蛋白含量或高黄酮含量的荞麦品系。该研究结果对荞麦优良品种的选育和荞麦新产品的开发具有一定指导意义。     

Insulin resistance and its contribution to colon carcinogenesis

The insulin resistance-colon cancer hypothesis, stating that insulin resistance may be associated with the development of colorectal cancer, represents a significant advance in colon cancer, as it emphasizes the potential for this cancer to become a modifiable disease. The fact that the incidence of insulin resistance has been increasing in the United States and much of the rest of the Western world where colon cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death makes the exploration of the interrelationship of these conditions a subject of high priority. Here, we review the salient features of insulin resistance, defined as impaired biological response to the action of insulin. Recent epidemiological studies, evaluating potential associations between colon cancer risk and diabetes mellitus, dietary intake and metabolic factors, and IGF levels in several clinical settings, provide strong support of the insulin resistance-colon cancer hypothesis (without establishing causality). Mechanistically, insulin resistance has been associated with hyperinsulinemia, increased levels of growth factors including IGF-1, and alterations in NF-kappaB and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling, which may promote colon cancer through their effects on colonocyte kinetics. It is a reasonable expectation that in the not too distant future, critical interventions to the already mapped molecular sequence of events, which link two apparently disparate entities, combined with lifestyle changes could abrogate the development of colon cancer.     

Social neuroscience and its potential contribution to psychiatry

Most mental disorders involve disruptions of normal social behavior. Social neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field devoted to understanding the biological systems underlying social processes and behavior, and the influence of the social environment on biological processes, health and well‐being. Research in this field has grown dramatically in recent years. Active areas of research include brain imaging studies in normal children and adults, animal models of social behavior, studies of stroke patients, imaging studies of psychiatric patients, and research on social determinants of peripheral neural, neuroendocrine and immunological processes. Although research in these areas is proceeding along largely independent trajectories, there is increasing evidence for connections across these trajectories. We focus here on the progress and potential of social neuroscience in psychiatry, including illustrative evidence for a rapid growth of neuroimaging and genetic studies of mental disorders. We also argue that neuroimaging and genetic research focused on specific component processes underlying social living is needed.     

Review. Kuru and its contribution to medicine

The solution of kuru led us to the solution of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and to the elucidation, in humans and other species, of previously unknown mechanisms of infection. These require very close three-dimensional matching, which determines infectious nucleant or prion activity. Evidence for nucleation processes is found widely in the organic and inorganic worlds and in the interactions between them: in the formation of amyloid fibrils; in the biochemistry of silicon; in cave formations deep in the Earth; and in outer space. Kuru in its location in Papua New Guinea has also led to an understanding of the cultural achievements of the Palaeo-Melanesians, with deep roots in human history.     

Dihydrolipoyl dioleoylglycerol antioxidant capacity in phospholipid vesicles

Antioxidants have critical roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis and disease-state prevention. The multi-functional agent α-lipoic acid offers numerous beneficial effects to oxidatively stressed tissues. α-Lipoic acid was enzymatically incorporated into a triglyceride in conjunction with oleic acid, creating lipoyl dioleoylglycerol, and chemically reduced to form dihydrolipoyl dioleoylglycerol. The triglyceride forms of lipoic acid stabilized dioleoylphosphatidylcholine unilamellar liposomal vesicles, as judged by calcein-cobalt leakage. Stabilization resulted from increased packing density of phospholipid acyl chains. Scavenging activity against the 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) radical was monitored by oxidation of 4,4-difluoro-5-(4-phenyl-1,3-butadienyl)-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene-3-undecanoic acid (C(11)-Bodipy). Dihydrolipoyl dioleoylglycerol in vesicles demonstrated strong antioxidant capacity in comparison to the conventional Trolox standard. Fluorescence quenching measurements indicated the lipoyl moiety of dihydrolipoyl dioleoylglycerol is positioned near the vesicle aqueous/lipid boundary. Treatment of intact vesicles with a nonpenetrating sulfhydryl reagent indicated that 80% of the dihydrolipoyl dioleoylglycerol was available for reaction. Molecular modeling of lipoyl dioleoylglycerol and dihydrolipoyl dioleoylglycerol in a phospholipid layer confirmed the existence of an extended configuration for the molecules that accounts for the interfacial location of the lipoyl moiety, which may allow the antioxidant to readily react with radical species approaching membranes from the aqueous phase.