麻类织物对须癣毛癣菌生长抑制作用的研究

目的通过分析汉麻、亚麻和苎麻对须癣毛癣菌生长的影响,探讨麻类织物对浅部真菌的抑制作用。方法实验采用振荡法。将3种麻类织物分别与须癣毛癣菌混合培养,对照组为棉布组,3d后分别取培养液稀释5倍后涂布培养皿,计算各自的菌落数和抑菌率并进行统计分析。结果麻类织物组菌落数明显少于对照组棉布组(P<0.01),3种麻类织物对须癣毛癣菌的抑菌率均高于60%,但3种麻类织物的抑菌率之间无明显差异(P<0.01)。结论3种麻类织物均可显著抑制须癣毛癣菌的生长,麻类织物有可能用来预防由须癣毛癣菌引起的足癣、股癣等浅部真菌病。     

Enzymatic degumming of ramie bast fibers

Bast fibers from ramie (Boehmeria nivea) were treated with cell-free culture supernatants from an Amycolata sp. and a recombinant Streptomyces lividans strain expressing the Amycolata pectate lyase to investigate the degumming effects of different extracellular polysaccharide-degrading enzymes. Culture supernatants from the Amycolata sp. with high pectate lyase activities were most effective in fiber separation and reduced the gum content of ramie fibers by 30% within 15 h. Xylanase activity produced by the Amycolata sp. contributed little to the degumming. Electron micrographs showed that the crude pectate lyase from the Amycolata sp. removed plant gum more efficiently from decorticated ramie bast fibers than the purified enzyme. Similarly, degumming with the crude enzyme of the Amycolata sp. and the recombinant S. lividans strain for 24 h resulted in fibers with a residual gum content of 14.7 and 17.3%, respectively. Degumming with the crude enzyme of the recombinant Streptomyces strain was slightly improved by the addition of a commercial pectinesterase. No significant degumming was observed with the crude enzyme from an S. lividans strain that did not produce the Amycolata pectate lyase. These results indicate that the pectinolytic activity of the Amycolata sp. plays an active role in degumming of ramie bast fibers.     

Pectinolytic Enzymes from Actinomycetes for the Degumming of Ramie Bast Fibers

Actinomycetes isolated from 10 different soil and compost samples were screened for production of pectinolytic enzyme activities when grown on pectin-containing solid and liquid media. Pectinolytic enzymes, detected by using plate diffusion tests with a medium containing ramie (Boehmeria nivea) plant material as the sole carbon source, were mainly pectate lyases, but low activities of pectinesterases were also observed. Polygalacturonases and polymethylgalacturonases were not produced. Multiple forms of pectate lyases were detected in the culture supernatants of some of the strains by using the zymogram technique of isoelectric focusing gels. Xylanolytic and cellulolytic activities were always found to be associated with pectinolytic activities. None of the pectinolytic enzymes were produced in a medium with glucose as the sole carbon source. Treatment of ramie bast fibers with crude enzyme preparations from a selection of strains showed a good correlation between the pectate lyase activity applied and the degumming effect, resulting in good separation of the bast fibers.     

Purification and characterization of an extracellular pectate lyase from an Amycolata sp.

The extracellular pectate lyase (EC 4.2.2.2) of a nonsporulating Amycolata sp. was purified to homogeneity by anion- and cation-exchange chromatographies followed by hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The enzyme cleaved polygalacturonate but not highly esterified pectin in a random endolytic transeliminative mechanism that led to the formation of a wide range of 4,5-unsaturated oligogalacturonates. As shown by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography and pulsed amperometric detection, these unsaturated oligogalacturonates were further depolymerized by the enzyme to the unsaturated dimer and trimer as final products. The pectate lyase had a molecular weight of 31,000 determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and a molecular mass of 30,000 Da determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. The isoelectric point of the protein was 10. Maximum activity occurred at pH 10.25. Calcium was essential for activity, and EDTA inactivated the enzyme under standard assay conditions. Interestingly, EDTA did not inhibit the ability of the enzyme to cleave the native pectin (protopectin) of ramie (Boehmeria nivea) fibers. The Km value with sodium polygalacturonate as the substrate was 0.019 g liter-1. The purified enzyme lost its activity after a 1-h incubation at 50 degrees C but was stabilized by calcium or polygalacturonate. The N-terminal sequence showed high similarity within a stretch of 13 amino acids to the N-terminal sequences of pectate lyases PLa and PLe from Erwinia chrysanthemi. The Amycolata sp. did not produce additional isozymes of pectate lyase but produced further activities of pectinesterase, xylanase, and carboxymethyl cellulase when grown in a medium with decorticated bast fibers from ramie as the sole carbon source.     

Easy alignment and effective nucleation activity of ramie fibers in injection-molded poly(lactic acid) biocomposites

The poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/ramie fiber biocomposites were fabricated, which exhibited considerable reinforcement effect comparable to the glass fiber at the same loading. The attempts were made to understand the flow-induced morphology of ramie fibers and PLA crystals in the injection-molded PLA/ramie fiber biocomposites, thus revealing its relationship to biocomposite mechanical properties. The polarized optical microscopy (POM) and two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray diffraction (2D-WAXD) were for the first time used to determine the distribution of nature fibers, which interestingly showed the ramie fibers aligned well along the flow direction over the whole thickness of injection-molded parts, instead of skin-core structure. This easy alignment of ramie fibers during the common processing was ascribed to the intrinsically high flexibility of ramie fibers and strong interfacial interaction between PLA chains and cellulose molecules of ramie fibers. Both 2D-WAXD and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurements suggested that the PLA matrix in its ramie biocomposites had rather high orientation degree and crystallinity, which was attributed to effective heterogeneous nucleation induced by ramie fibers and local shearing field in the vicinity of fiber surface. Remarkable improvement of mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties was achieved for PLA/ramie fiber biocomposites, without sacrifice of toughness and ductility. Addition of 30wt% ramie fibers increased the tensile strength and modulus of PLA/ramie fiber biocomposites from 65.6 and 1468 MPa for pure PLA to 91.3 and 2977 MPa, respectively. These superior mechanical properties were ascribed to easy alignment of ramie fibers, high crystallinity of PLA, and favorable interfacial adhesion as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation and theoretical analysis based on dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) data.     

制霉菌素抗性筛选高活性苎麻脱胶菌诱变菌株

利用制霉菌素抗性筛选高渗透性突变株,提高黑曲霉菌对苎麻纤维的脱胶能力,使微生物脱胶能用于工业生产实践之中.分别用紫外线、硫酸二乙酯、亚硝酸作为诱变剂对黑曲霉3.0.2菌株进行诱变处理.以制霉菌素抗性为遗传标记,从突变菌株中定向筛选得到一株高活性苎麻脱胶菌黑曲霉3.0.2-26.在以未经刮制的苎麻韧皮为主要碳源,0.7%(NH_4)_2SO_4为氮源,添加00.5%KCl;00.5%MgSO_4;0.1%K_2HPO_4; 0.1%酵母膏;Tween80 0.1%的培养液中,接入黑曲霉3.0.2-26,置30℃下,150 r/min处理30 h左右,脱胶苎麻纤维的残胶率平均为14.43%.     

Morphological and physiological changes of ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud) in response to drought stress and GA3 treatment

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud) fibers extracted from the stem bast is one of the most important natural fibers. Ramie growth is severely hindered by drought stress but is promoted by gibberellins (GAs). In order to investigate ramie morphological and physiological responses to drought stress and GA₃ treatment, four groups of potted ramie (severe drought stress (DS), severe drought stress and spraying with GA₃ (DS + GA₃), normal watering and spraying with GA₃ (control + GA₃), and normal watering as a control) were tested. The result showed that, comparing with the ramie growing under well watering condition, a decrease in chlorophyll a (Chl a) and carotenoid and an increase in proline and soluble sugar contents were commonly observed in drought-stressed and GA₃-treated ramie. Different responses of the stem morphological traits, fiber yield, and seven physiological characteristics (relative water content, the activities of POD, SOD, and CAT enzymes, the contents of Chl b, endogenous GAs and MDA) were observed between drought-stressed and GA₃-treated plants. When the ramie suffering drought stress was sprayed with GA₃ (in (DS + GA₃) group), the responses of some physiological traits (POD, SOD, CAT, MDA, and endogenous GAs) and morphological traits (stem shape and fiber yield) to drought stress disappeared completely or partially, and the plant presented similar characteristics of well-watered ramie in these traits. These results suggested that the application of exogenous GA₃ can improve the drought tolerance of ramie.     

QTL mapping for fiber yield-related traits by constructing the first genetic linkage map in ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud)

Ramie fiber extracted from stem bast is one of the most important natural fibers. The fiber yield of ramie is a valuable trait and is decided by several components, including stem number per plant (SN), the fiber yield per stem (FYPS), stem length (SL), stem diameter (SD), and bark thickness (BT). All of these fiber yield-related traits are inherited in a quantitative manner. The genetic basis for these traits is still uncharacterized, which has hindered the improvement of yield traits through selective ramie breeding. In this study, an F₂ population derived from two ramie varieties, Zhongzhu 1 and Qingyezhuma, with striking differences in fiber yield-related traits, was used for cutting propagation and to develop an F₂ agamous line (FAL) population. A genetic linkage map with 132 DNA loci spanning 2,265.1 cM was first constructed. The analysis of quantitative trait locus (QTL) for fiber yield-related traits was performed in ramie for the first time. Finally, a total of 6, 9, 5, 7, and 6 QTLs for FYPS, SL, SN, SD, and BT, respectively, were identified in the FAL population in two environments. Among these 33 QTLs, 9 QTLs were detected in both environments and 24 QTLs exhibited overdominance. The overdominance of these QTLs possibly contributed to the heterosis of these yield-related traits in ramie. Moreover, there were 7 QTL clusters identified. The identification of the QTLs for fiber yield-related traits will be helpful for improving the fiber yield in ramie breeding programs.     

Carbohydrate components and crystalline structure of organosolv hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) bast fibers pulp

Changes in carbohydrate components and crystalline structure of hemp bast fibers during organosolv pulping were investigated by X-ray diffractometry, FT-IR spectroscopy and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The reasons for defibrillation and beating problems with organosolv hemp bast fiber pulp were investigated with reference to these properties of pulp samples. Hemp bast fibers and organosolv pulp samples had low hemicellulose contents and high cellulose contents. It was found that the disorder parameter of cellulose in hemp bast fibers was very low, when crystalline cellulose ratio was high and the crystalline structure of cellulose in hemp bast fibers was very stable. These properties affected defibrillation and beating of organosolv hemp bast fibers pulp negatively.     

Large-scale degumming of ramie fibre using a newly isolated <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus pumilus</Emphasis> DKS1 with high pectate lyase activity

A combined (enzymatic and chemical) process using a Bacillus pumilus strain (DKS1), isolated from the soil, was used to degum ramie bast fibres. After 24 h of incubation with the isolated pectinolytic strain using a low-cost medium, the weight loss of the ramie fibre was found to be 25% under small scale. High activity of pectate lyase was detected in the culture supernatants; 400 kg of ramie fibres was degummed with 24% weight loss in large-scale degumming under field conditions. No cellulase activity was found. Microbial intervention followed by mild (0.1%) alkali treatment showed high percentage of weight loss from the ramie fibre. Bacterial degumming followed by chemical treatment resulted in an increase of single fibre tenacity (cN/tex) by more than 20.81% as compared to non-degummed (decorticated) fibre samples. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) and fluorescence microscope showed that after Bacillus pumilus DKS1 treatment the surface of the decorticated ramie fibre becomes very smooth. These results indicate the process provides an economical and eco-friendly method for the small scale as well as large-scale degumming of decorticated ramie fibre. This study has great relevance to the textile as well as paper industry.     

Enzymic Degradation of Pectic Acid

Pectic acids were not completely hydrolyzed with the preparation of carrot exopolygalacturonase, purified about 280-fold. The degradation limit was found to vary over a wide range according to the source of pectic acid. The value for degradation limit was 56.1% for pectic acid from bast of ramie, whereas it was 6.7% for that from peach flesh.     

Enzymes in Bast Fibrous Plant Processing

The program COST Action 847 Textile Quality and Biotechnology (2000–2005) has given an excellent chance to review the possibilities of the research, aiming at development of the industrial application of enzymes for bast fibrous plant degumming and primary processing. The recent advancements in enzymatic processing of bast fibrous plants (flax, hemp, jute, ramie and alike plants) and related textiles are given. The performance of enzymes in degumming, modification of bast fibres, roving, yarn, related fabrics as well as enzymatic bonding of lignocellulosic composites is provided.     

Neuroprotective effects of quercetin, rutin and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus Linn.) in dexamethasone-treated mice

The administration of dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid receptor agonist, causes neuronal death in the CA3 layer of the hippocampus, which has been associated with learning and memory impairments. This study aimed to examine the ability of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus Linn.) extract and its derivatives (quercetin and rutin) to protect neuronal function and improve learning and memory deficits in mice subjected to dexamethasone treatment. Learning and memory functions in mice were examined using the Morris water maze test. The results showed that the mice treated with dexamethasone had prolonged water maze performance latencies and shorter time spent in the target quadrant while mice pretreated with quercetin, rutin or okra extract prior to dexamethasone treatment showed shorter latencies and longer time spent in target quadrant. Morphological changes in pyramidal neurons were observed in the dexamethasone treated group. The number of CA3 hippocampal neurons was significantly lower while pretreated with quercetin, rutin or okra attenuated this change. Prolonged treatment with dexamethasone altered NMDA receptor expression in the hippocampus. Pretreatment with quercetin, rutin or okra extract prevented the reduction in NMDA receptor expression. Dentate gyrus (DG) cell proliferation was examined using the 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) immunohistochemistry technique. The number of BrdU-immunopositive cells was significantly reduced in dexamethasone-treated mice compared to control mice. Pretreatment with okra extract, either quercetin or rutin was found to restore BrdU-immunoreactivity in the dentate gyrus. These findings suggest that quercetin, rutin and okra extract treatments reversed cognitive deficits, including impaired dentate gyrus (DG) cell proliferation, and protected against morphological changes in the CA3 region in dexamethasone-treated mice. The precise mechanism of the neuroprotective effect of these plant extracts should be further investigated.     

Screening of pectinase producer from alkalophilic bacteria and study on its potential application in degumming of ramie

Four strains designated as NT-2, NT-6, NT-33 and NT-82 were selected from alkalophilic bacteria. They all can produce pectinase and xylanase. The polygalacturonase (PGase) and xylanase activities of strain NT-33 were 1025 U ml^-1 and 26U ml^-1 respectively. The pH and temperature optimum for the activity of PGase were 10.5 and 70°C, respectively. From batch experiments, it was found that strain NT-33 had an excellent capacity for degumming ramie fibers. After 24 h fermentation this strain can remove 70% of the gum existing in ramie fibers. The experiments showed that a series of noncellulosic polysaccharide degrading enzymes were involved in the ramie degumming process.     

Lignification in the flax stem: evidence for an unusual lignin in bast fibers

In the context of our research on cell wall formation and maturation in flax (Linum usitatissimum L) bast fibers, we (1) confirmed the presence of lignin in bast fibers and (2) quantified and characterized the chemical nature of this lignin at two developmental stages. Histochemical methods (Weisner and Maüle reagents and KMnO₄-staining) indicating the presence of lignin in bast fibers at the light and electron microscope levels were confirmed by chemical analyses (acetyl bromide). In general, the lignin content in flax bast fibers varied between 1.5% and 4.2% of the dry cell wall residues (CWRs) as compared to values varying between 23.7% and 31.4% in flax xylem tissues. Immunological and chemical analyses (thioacidolysis and nitrobenzene oxidation) indicated that both flax xylem- and bast fiber-lignins were rich in guaiacyl (G) units with S/G values inferior to 0.5. In bast fibers, the highly sensitive immunological probes allowed the detection of condensed guaiacyl-type (G) lignins in the middle lamella, cell wall junctions, and in the S1 layer of the secondary wall. In addition, lower quantities of mixed guaiacyl–syringyl (GS) lignins could be detected throughout the secondary cell wall. Chemical analyses suggested that flax bast-fiber lignin is more condensed than the corresponding xylem lignin. In addition, H units represented up to 25% of the monomers released from bast-fiber lignin as opposed to a value of 1% for the corresponding xylem tissue. Such an observation indicates that the structure of flax bast-fiber lignin is significantly different from that of the more typical woody plant lignin, thereby suggesting that flax bast fibers represent an interesting system for studying an unusual lignification process.     

Characterizing natural cellulose fibers from velvet leaf (Abutilon theophrasti) stems

Velvet leaf (Abutilon theophrasti) that is currently considered a weed and an agricultural problem could be used as a source for high quality natural cellulose fibers. The fibers obtained from the velvet leaf stems are mainly composed of approximately 69% cellulose and 17% lignin. The single cells in the fiber have lengths of approximately 0.9 mm, shorter than those in common bast fibers, hemp and kenaf. However, the widths of single cells in velvet leaf fibers are similar to the single cells in hemp and kenaf. The fibers exhibited breaking tenacity from 2.4 to 3.9 g/denier (325-500 MPa), breaking elongation of 1.6-2.4% and Young's modulus of 140-294 g/denier (18-38 GPa). Overall, velvet leaf fibers have properties similar to that of common bast fibers such as hemp and kenaf. Velvet leaves fibers could be processed on the current kenaf processing machineries for textile, composite, automotive and other fibrous applications.     

Elucidating the effects of laccase-modifying compounds treatments on bast and core fibers in flax pulp

Laccases in combination with various chemical compounds have been tested with a view to obtain environmental friendly, high‐value paper products from unbleached flax pulp, which is currently being assessed as a raw material for biotechnological innovation. With the aim of better understanding the effects of violuric acid (VA) and p‐coumaric acid (PCA) on flax pulp, changes in the chemical composition of the two major fiber types it contains were assessed. Following classification, the initial pulp was split into two fractions according to fiber size, namely: bast (long) fibers and core (short) fibers. Fiber size was found to significantly influence the properties of pulp and it response to various laccase treatments. The laccase‐PCA treatment substantially increased kappa number (KN) and color in both fiber fractions, which suggests grafting of the phenolic compound onto fibers. On the other hand, the laccase‐VA treatment produced long fibers with a low lignin content (KN = 1.3) and a high brightness (5% points higher than for the control fraction), which testifies to its bleaching efficiency. Both biotreatments produced long fibers containing highly crystalline cellulose and caused HexA removal from global and short fibers. On the other hand, the laccase treatments caused no morphological changes in the fibers, the integrity of which was largely preserved. As shown here, laccase acts as polymerization agent with PCA and as delignification agent with VA; also, the two enzymes systems act differently on bast and core fibers. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012;109: 225–233. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.