A crude extract from immature green tea (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Camellia sinensis</Emphasis>) leaves promotes Toll-like receptor 7-mediated interferon-α production in human macrophage-like cells

Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) senses viral single-stranded RNA (ssRNA), induces the production of type I interferons (IFNs), IFN-α and -β, in macrophages such as dendritic cells (DCs), and its immune system protects the host from virus infection. Here, we found that a crude extract from immature green tea leaves (iTPS) containing a macromolecule with ssRNA fragments, induces IFN-α production in human macrophage-like cells. In addition IFN-α production was inhibited by treatment with TLR7 inhibitors or a phagocytosis inhibitor.     

Morphological anti‐predator defences in the nine‐spined stickleback: constitutive,induced or both?

Environmental differences among populations are expected to lead to local adaptation, while spatial or temporal environmental variation within a population will favour evolution of phenotypic plasticity. As plasticity itself can be under selection, locally adapted populations can vary in levels of plasticity. Nine‐spined stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) originating from isolated ponds (low piscine predation risk, high competition) vs. lake and marine populations (high piscine predation risk, low competition) are known to be morphologically adapted to their respective environments. However, nothing is known about their ability to express phenotypic plasticity in morphology in response to perceived predation risk or food availability/competition. We studied predator‐induced phenotypic plasticity in body shape and armour of marine and pond nine‐spined stickleback in a factorial common garden experiment with two predator treatments (present vs. absent) and two feeding regimes (low vs. high). The predation treatment did not induce any morphological shifts in fish from either habitat or food regime. However, strong habitat‐dependent differences between populations as well as strong sexual dimorphism in both body shape and armour were found. The lack of predator‐induced plasticity in development of the defence traits (viz. body armour and body depth) suggests that morphological anti‐predator traits in nine‐spined stickleback are strictly constitutive, rather than inducible. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, ??, ??–??.     

Life history traits variation in heterogeneous environment: The case of a freshwater snail resistance to pond drying

Ecologists and population geneticists have long suspected that the diversity of living organisms was connected to the structure of their environment. In heterogeneous environments, diversifying selection combined to restricted gene flow may indeed lead to locally adapted populations. The freshwater snail, Galba truncatula, is a good model to address this question because it is present in a heterogeneous environment composed of temporary and permanent waters. In order to test the selective importance of those environments, we proposed here to measure survival of lineages from both habitats during drought episodes. To this purpose, we experimentally submitted adults and juveniles individuals from both habitats to drought. We found a difference in desiccation resistance between temporary and permanents waters only for adults. Adults from temporary habitats were found more resistant to drought. This divergence in desiccation resistance seems to explain the unexpected life history traits differences between habitats observed.     

Common garden experiments reveal uncommon responses across temperatures,locations, and species of ants

Population changes and shifts in geographic range boundaries induced by climate change have been documented for many insect species. On the basis of such studies, ecological forecasting models predict that, in the absence of dispersal and resource barriers, many species will exhibit large shifts in abundance and geographic range in response to warming. However, species are composed of individual populations, which may be subject to different selection pressures and therefore may be differentially responsive to environmental change. Asystematic responses across populations and species to warming will alter ecological communities differently across space. Common garden experiments can provide a more mechanistic understanding of the causes of compositional and spatial variation in responses to warming. Such experiments are useful for determining if geographically separated populations and co‐occurring species respond differently to warming, and they provide the opportunity to compare effects of warming on fitness (survivorship and reproduction). We exposed colonies of two common ant species in the eastern United States, Aphaenogaster rudis and Temnothorax curvispinosus, collected along a latitudinal gradient from Massachusetts to North Carolina, to growth chamber treatments that simulated current and projected temperatures in central Massachusetts and central North Carolina within the next century. Regardless of source location, colonies of A. rudis, a keystone seed disperser, experienced high mortality and low brood production in the warmest temperature treatment. Colonies of T. curvispinosus from cooler locations experienced increased mortality in the warmest rearing temperatures, but colonies from the warmest locales did not. Our results suggest that populations of some common species may exhibit uniform declines in response to warming across their geographic ranges, whereas other species will respond differently to warming in different parts of their geographic ranges. Our results suggest that differential responses of populations and species must be incorporated into projections of range shifts in a changing climate.     

我国西南元江大理茶的挥发性成分及其抗氧化活性(英文)

大理茶 ( Camellia taliensis) 为山茶科山茶属茶组植物,主要分布于云南横断山脉澜沧江至伊洛瓦底江流域,即从云南的西部及西南部至缅甸北部。在其分布区,大理茶亦被称为野生大茶树,常用于加工制作茶叶。采用水蒸气蒸馏法、GC 及 GC/MS 联用技术,首次对大理茶的鲜幼叶和鲜幼叶及老叶分别制成的绿茶中的挥发性成分进行提取和分析,共鉴定出 91 个化合物。研究结果表明,大理茶鲜幼叶的主要香气成分为棕榈酸 ( 30. 52%) ,亚油酸 ( 19. 82%) ,植醇 ( 8. 75%) 和亚麻酸乙酯 ( 2. 54%) 等有机酸及其酯和二萜类,而制成绿茶后,其主要香气成分则为芳樟醇 ( 28. 43%) ,脱氢芳樟醇 ( 1. 13%) ,α-松油醇( 11. 68%) ,橙花醇 ( 4. 92%) 和香叶醇 ( 12. 34%) 等单萜醇类成分。从大理茶鲜叶到由其制成的绿茶,香气成分发生了较大变化,形成了 28 种原鲜叶中未检测到的香气成分,其中,( Z,Z,Z) -9,12,15-十八烷三烯-1-醇的含量分别达到 1. 21% ( 幼叶绿茶) 和 11. 2% ( 老叶绿茶) ,是大理茶制作的绿茶的特征香气成分。DPPH 和 ABTS+自由基清除实验结果显示大理茶鲜叶及其制成的绿茶的挥发性成分均具有一定的抗氧化活性,但均弱于茶多酚的抗氧化活性。     

华南地区8种常见园林地被植物抗旱性比较研究

以华南地区8种常见园林地被植物为研究对象,在温室内设置盆栽控水试验,分组测定各参试植物的永久萎蔫率,叶片失水率、相对含水量、相对电导率、可溶性糖、脯氨酸以及丙二醛含量等生理生化指标,并用隶属函数法对其抗旱性进行综合评价。结果表明:(1)植物的永久萎蔫率和叶片失水率以鹅掌藤、白蝴蝶相对较低,其植株表现出较强的抗旱性。(2)随着持续干旱时间的延长,8种地被植物的叶片相对含水量呈不同程度下降趋势;叶片相对电导率、MDA含量均有不同程度升高;叶片可溶性糖和脯氨酸含量的变化趋势不一。(3)3种木本植物的抗旱性强弱依次为鹅掌藤>红花龙船花>红背桂,5种草本植物依次为水鬼蕉>蚌兰>白蝴蝶>葱兰>大叶红草。研究表明,植物的永久萎蔫率、叶片失水率、相对含水量、相对电导率、丙二醛含量与其实际抗旱性密切相关,可作为评价园林地被植物抗旱性的有效指标。     

绿茶浸出液对蟾蜍离体心脏活动的影响

利用斯氏蛙心灌流方法,以心率和心搏幅度为评价指标,研究了5%、10%、20%、25%、30%、40%6个浓度梯度的绿茶浸出液对蟾蜍离体心脏活动的影响。结果表明,25%～30%的绿茶浸出液对蟾蜍的心率和心肌收缩力都有显著增强作用(P<0.05),低于25%和为40%时,虽有影响,但不显著(P>0.05)。因此25%～30%的绿茶浸出液具有一定的强心效应。     

茶树中咖啡碱抑茵抗虫作用的研究

咖啡碱是茶树的主要生物碱和特征性物质之一,通过滤纸片法、生长速率法、饲喂称重法对咖啡碱抑菌、抗虫作用的研究,发现咖啡碱对供试细菌和真菌有一定的抑菌能力,对棉铃虫和菜粉蝶、家蚕幼虫具有毒害和抑制生长的影响。咖啡碱作为茶树的次生代谢产物具有抗病抗虫的的生物学功能。     

辐照技术应用于茶叶上的研究进展

本文综述了国内外辐照处理对茶叶卫生质量、感官品质、内含物的影响以及农残降解的研究进展,展望了辐照技术在茶叶上的应用前景和发展方向,为辐照技术在茶叶上的产业化应用提供参考依据。     

十两茶水提物降糖作用及机制研究

探讨了湖南安化黑茶的主要品种十两茶水提物的降糖作用及机制.选用6～8周龄db/db自发性糖尿病模型小鼠,每日灌胃给予3个不同剂量的十两茶水提物(100、200、400 mg/kg),连续28 d.每周测定空腹血糖值,实验结束时检测糖耐量和胰岛素水平.研究结果显示,十两茶水提物400 mg/kg给药28 d就能显著降低db/db糖尿病小鼠空腹血糖和改善其对葡萄糖耐受能力.同时,十两茶水提物能显著降低db/db糖尿病小鼠血清胰岛素水平,增加葡萄糖耐量试验胰岛素的释放.结果显示十两茶水提物对2型糖尿病小鼠具有很好的降糖作用,其作用机制与增加胰岛素敏感性有关.