Production of Erythritol by n-Alkane-grown Yeasts

In the course of study on citric acid fermentation by Candida zeylanoides, in which n-alkane (a mixture of C–12 to C–15) was used as the sole source of carbon, we found that a polyol-like substance was accumulated when the medium-pH fell down to below 4.0. This was isolated in crystalline forms and identified as meso-erythritol. Comparing erythritol production among fifty yeast strains, Candida zeylanoides, particularly its glycerol-requiring mutant KY 6166, was found to be an excellent producer.

Erythritol production was also observed with ethanol or acetic acid as the sole carbon source but not with glucose. An efficient condition for large production of erythritol was to keep the medium-pH at low level (2.5 to 4.0) and the concentration of NaCl or KCl at high level (1 to 3%). Under conditions established in this work, more than 55 mg/ml of erythritol was successfully produced in 120 hr incubation in 300-ml flasks, which corresponded to 55% of the alkane used.     

Metabolomics for the Quality Assessment of Lycium chinense Fruits

Aibellin is a 20-residue peptide antibiotic that has been isolated from the fungus Verticimonosporium ellipticum. Sequence-specific assignment of the ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR signals of aibellin in a methanol solution was achieved by using the two-dimensional NMR technique. Furthermore, its secondary structure was characterized by circular dichroism (CD) and NOESY spectra. The observed NOEs, ³J_NHCαH coupling constants and amide hydrogen–deuterium (H–D) exchange rates show that the peptide consisted of two α-helices and a bent structure around a Pro-14 residue.     

The relationship between the amount of insect-repelling phenolic compounds in pennywort tea and the number of infesting cigarette beetles in the tea bag during one-year storage

Cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.), is a common food-product pest widely found in homes. This paper investigated the relationship between the number of infesting cigarette beetles and the phenolic content of pennywort tea made from young and mature leaves during one-year storage. It was found that cigarette beetles started to appear in tea bags after six months of storage. More adults were found than larvae and pupae. In addition, the number of cigarette beetles infesting pennywort tea made from mature leaves was higher than when it was made from young leaves. The amount of phenolic compounds in pennywort tea was analyzed by Folin–Ciocalteau assay. The results of a regression analysis indicated that the number of adult cigarette beetles correlated negatively with the amount of phenolic compounds in pennywort tea made from young leaves – when the total phenolic content decreased, the number of infesting cigarette beetles increased (r² = 0.80). The number of larvae and pupae showed a weak negative correlation with the amount of phenolic compounds (r² = 0.40 and r² = 0.56, respectively). Similar correlations were found in pennywort tea made from mature leaves, but the number of infesting beetles was higher due to the lower phenolic content of the mature leaves.     

Daily consumption of tea catechins improves aerobic capacity in healthy male adults: a randomized double-blind,placebo-controlled,crossover trial

Our previous studies demonstrated that dietary supplementation with tea catechins combined with exercise improved endurance capacity in mice. This study aimed to demonstrate the effect of daily tea catechin consumption on aerobic capacity in humans. Sixteen Japanese non-athlete male subjects (aged 25–47 years) took 500 mL of a test beverage with or without tea catechins (570 mg) daily for 8 weeks and attended a training program twice a week. Aerobic capacity was evaluated by indirect calorimetry and near-infrared spectroscopy during graded cycle exercise. Catechin beverage consumption was associated with a significantly higher ventilation threshold during exercise and a higher recovery rate of oxygenated hemoglobin and myoglobin levels after graded cycle exercise when compared to subjects receiving the placebo beverage. These results indicate that daily consumption of tea catechins increases aerobic capacity when combined with semiweekly light exercise, which may be due to increased skeletal muscle aerobic capacity.     

漳江口红树林沉积物真菌多样性分析及抗茶叶致病真菌生物活性筛选

以福建漳江口红树林国家级自然保护区红树林沉积物分离的真菌为对象,研究红树林沉积物真菌的多样性和筛选抗茶叶病原真菌活性的菌株。将分离纯化的135株真菌通过形态学和Ribosomal DNA-Internal Transcribed Spacer(rDNAITS)序列测定进行鉴定及多样性分析,归为40个种类型,分别属于17个属,其中青霉属(25%)为优势菌,木霉属(15%)、曲霉属(10%)和镰刀属(10%)次之,表明红树林沉积物真菌具有丰富的多样性;利用平板对峙法对真菌的发酵粗提物抗茶叶病原真菌生物活性研究,结果发现,共有17株(占42.5%)真菌具有抗茶叶病原真菌活性,其中15株能够抑制茶叶轮斑病(Pestalotiopsis theae)LH13,12株能够抑制茶叶炭疽病(Colletotrichum gloeosporioides)LH30,8株能够抑制茶叶溃疡病(Neofusicoccumsp.)LH107,有两株对这三种茶叶致病菌均有较强活性。这些活性菌株分布在6个属中,分别是青霉属(7株)、木霉属(3株)、镰孢属(2株)、枝孢属(2株)、白地霉属(2株)和球腔菌属(1株)。由此可见,红树林沉积物真菌抗菌活性菌株的种属分布具有多样性。     

Different carbonic supplements induced changes of microflora in two types of compost teas and biocontrol efficiency against Pythium aphanidermatum

ABSTRACT

Considering the different carbonic source utilisation abilities of microbial species, we used six carbonic supplements to acclimate the microorganisms in two types of compost teas (named CT1 and CT2). The effects of the different carbonic supplements on the physicochemical and biological parameters of the acclimated microbial broth were investigated. The influence of these supplements on the biocontrol effect of the broth against cucumber damping off caused by Pythium aphanidermatum was also assessed. Results showed that treatment with glucose, sucrose, or starch reduced the pH and weakened the biocontrol effect of the acclimated microbial broth. The glucose treatment increased the population size of fungi and yeast. The chitin, cellulose, and wheat straw treatments significantly elevated the pH and electrical conductivity (P?<?0.05), increased the bacterial population size, and positively affected the biocontrol effect of the acclimated microbial broth. The glucose treatment had higher (75.3% and 79.4% for the CT1 and CT2, respectively) whereas the wheat straw treatment had lower (34.6% and 25.6% for the CT1 and CT2, respectively) disease incidence relative to the blank control (85.6%), bacterial population size (r?=?0.64 and 0.69) and number of colony types (r?=?0.82 and 0.76) highly correlated with the biocontrol effect of CT1 and CT2 while the reducing sugar content negatively correlated with the biocontrol effect (r?=??0.57 and ?0.86).     

Efficacy and repellency of some essential oils and their blends against larval and adult house flies,Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae)

House flies are global pests and notoriously difficult to control. Essential oils of vetiver, cinnamon, and lavender and their blends were tested for toxic and repellent effects against larval and adult flies. All of the oils had moderate toxicity for eggs. Mortality of 2^nd instar larvae was 57–78% in dipping assays, 38–100% in contact assays, and 94–100% in treated media. Lavender was less effective (38% mortality) than the others (91–100%) in contact bioassays. Oil blends were not more effective against larvae than individual oils. Vetiver and cinnamon oils were strongly repellent (84 and 78%, respectively) for larvae in treated media. None of the oils were repellent for adult house flies in olfactometer assays, but testing of additional products demonstrated significant repellency for neem oil, p‐menthane‐3,8‐diol (PMD), and vanillin. Contact/fumigant toxicity of vetiver, cinnamon, and lavender oils was 100%, significantly higher than mortality from sunflower oil (67%). Blends of oils were not more effective against adults than the individual oils, but blends diluted with sunflower oil were as effective as the individual oils. Essentials oils of vetiver and cinnamon may have potential for fly management in situations where conventional insecticides cannot be used.     

宁夏枸杞根和茎的化学成分及抗炎活性研究

研究宁夏枸杞(Lycium barbarum L.)根部和茎部的化学成分。采用硅胶柱、ODS开放柱、Sephadex LH-20葡聚糖凝胶柱及半制备反相高效液相等色谱手段,对宁夏枸杞根和茎部乙醇提取物的石油醚部位及乙酸乙酯部位化学成分进行分离纯化,根据其理化性质以及波谱数据鉴定得到12个化合物,分别为N-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-hydroxyethyl]-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-enamide(1)、3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy phenyl)-N-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-methoxyethyl]acrylamide(2)、N-trans-coumaroyloctopamine(3)、(E)-2-(4,5-dihydroxy-2-{3-[(4-hydroxyphenethyl)amino]-3-oxopropyl}phenyl)-3-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(4-acetamidobutyl)acrylamide(4)、1,2-dihydro-6,8-dimethoxy-7-hydroxy-1-(3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl)-N1,N2-bis[2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]-2,3-naphthalene dicarboxamide(5)、(+)-syringaresinol(6)、zhebeiresinol(7)、(±)-eriodictyol(8)、isovanilin(9)、5,5′-dimethoxybiphenyl-2,2′-diol(10)、p-hydroxyphenethyltrans-ferulate(11)、E-ferulic acid hexacosyl ester(12),所有化合物均为首次从该植物中分离得到。此外,采用MTT法和抑制一氧化氮(NO)生成实验,从细胞毒活性和抗炎活性两方面评估了化合物的生物活性。结果表明,化合物2具有显著的抗炎活性,其IC50值(17.00±1.11μmol/L)小于阳性对照药槲皮素的IC50值(17.21±0.50μmol/L)。     

枸杞多糖抑制SMMC-7721肝癌细胞的VEGF表达、迁移与侵袭

目的研究枸杞多糖(lycium barbarum polysaccharide,LBP)对SMMC-7721肝癌细胞迁移、侵袭影响的机制。方法运用MTT法检肝癌细胞SMMC-7721的增殖率,Transwell检测细胞的迁移力和侵袭力,应用血管内皮生长因子(vascular endothelial growth factor,VEGF)小分子干扰RNA沉默VEGF表达,转染pcDNA 3.1-VEGF过表达VEGF,Western blot和qRT-PCR检测VEGF、MMP-2和MMP-9表达。结果 LBP(100、200、400μg/ml)处理可抑制SMMC-7721细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭,并抑制MMP-2、MMP-9和VEGF表达;沉默VEGF可降低SMMC-7721细胞迁移、侵袭相关蛋白MMP-2和MMP-9水平,过表达VEGF可逆转LBP对SMMC-7721细胞迁移和侵袭相关蛋白MMP-2和MMP-9水平的抑制作用。结论枸杞多糖可抑制肝癌细胞的迁移和侵袭,其机制可能与直接抑制VEGF有关。     

未来气候变化对不同国家茶适宜分布区的影响

茶是对气候变化敏感的重要经济作物, 评价全球气候变化对茶分布和生产的影响对相关国家经济发展和茶农的生计至关重要。本研究基于全球858个茶分布点和6个气候因子数据, 利用物种分布模型预测全球茶的潜在适宜分布区及其在2070年的不同温室气体排放情景(RCP2.6和RCP8.5)下的变化。结果表明: 当前茶在五大洲均有适宜分布区, 主要集中在亚洲、非洲和南美洲, 并且最冷季平均温和最暖季降水量主导了茶的分布。预计2070年, 茶的适宜分布区变化在不同的大洲、国家和气候情景间将存在差异。具体来说, 茶的适宜分布区总面积将会减少, 减少的区域主要位于低纬度地区, 而中高纬度地区的适宜分布区将扩张, 由此可能导致茶的适宜分布区向北移动; 重要的产茶国中, 阿根廷、缅甸、越南等茶适宜分布区面积会减少57.8%-95.8%, 而中国和日本的适宜分布面积则会增加2.7%-31.5%。未来全球新增的适宜分布区中, 约有68%的地区土地覆盖类型为自然植被, 因此可能导致新茶树种植园的开垦和自然植被及生物多样性保护产生冲突。