Biodegradation of polyphenols with immobilized Candida tropicalis under metabolic induction

During olive oil production, large quantities of olive mill wastewater (OMW) are produced. This wastewater material, containing a high level of phenolic compounds, poses a serious environmental problem in almost all Mediterranean countries. Candida tropicalis YMEC14 was used as an extremophile strain to design an aerobic biotreatment process to detoxify OMW and reduce its polluting organic load. The process was enhanced by directing yeast metabolism towards biodegradation pathways using hexadecane as co-metabolite and by immobilizing yeast cells in calcium alginate beads. Under immobilization conditions, C. tropicalis YMEC14 grown at 40 degrees C in OMW supplemented with hexadecane resulted in 69.7%, 69.2% and 55.3% reduction of chemical oxygen demand, monophenols and polyphenols, respectively, after a 24-h fermentation cycle.     

Acylated phenolic glycosides from Solenostemma argel

From the aerial parts of Solenostemma argel, four new acylated phenolic glycosides sinapyl alcohol 9-O-feruloyl-4-O-alpha-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-glucopyranoside, solargin I (1), sinapyl alcohol 9-O-caffeoyl-4-O-alpha-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-glucopyranoside, solargin II (2), sinapyl alcohol 9-O-feruloyl-4-O-alpha-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-alpha-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-glucopyranoside, solargin III (3) and sinapyl alcohol 9-O-caffeoyl-4-O-alpha-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-alpha-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-glucopyranoside, solargin IV (4) have been isolated. The structures of the isolated compounds were verified by means of MS and NMR spectral analyses.     

Allometry of axis length, diameter, and taper in the devil's walking stick (Aralia spinosa; Araliaceae)

The allometry of axis length, diameter, and taper is described for the trunk, rachis, and rachilla of nonbranching ramets of Aralia spinosa. Significant log-linear relationships were found between length and diameter for all axis categories, and in all cases, scaling was negatively allometric. Linear models best described the relationship between length and diameter for the rachis and rachilla, while a quadratic model best described this relationship for the trunk. During the trunk-building stage, the safety factors for trunk height were size dependent, with larger trunks exceeding their predicted critical buckling height. Taper was described by a linear relationship between diameter and position along the axis for all axis categories. All rachises and rachillas sampled exhibited taper along the length of the axis, however, only 51% of the trunks showed continuous taper. The trunk was less tapered than the rachis, but no differences in taper were found between the trunk and the rachilla, or the rachis and the rachilla. In unbranched ramets the large bipinnately compound leaves occupy the space normally occupied by lateral branches. We suggest that the rachis and rachilla are functionally equivalent to branches, that is, acting as axes of exploration and exploitation of the environment.     

神经干复合动作电位实验的软件设计

本文描述神经干复合动作电位实验的软件设计及其主要特点,友好的人机界面和简便的波形处理,并给出了实际实验结果,由于软件设计在智能化仪器中的重要作用,所以应加以仔细考虑。     

葱属植物S-烷(烯)基半胱氨酸亚砜代谢途径研究进展

葱属植物是被子植物中最大的属之一，包括大蒜、洋葱、大葱、韭菜等多种具有独特辛辣风味的蔬菜作物。S-烷(烯)基半胱氨酸亚砜是葱属植物特有的次生代谢产物，是葱属植物各种挥发性含硫化合物的前体物质，由于其赋予葱属植物独特的辛辣风味和药用价值，因此研究葱属植物S-烷(烯)基半胱氨酸亚砜的代谢途径具有重要意义。在葱属植物中已发现7种S-烷(烯)基半胱氨酸亚砜，这些S-烷(烯)基半胱氨酸亚砜主要在叶片中先经谷胱甘肽途径合成，再转运到鳞茎等贮藏器官的细胞质中积累。目前，关于葱属植物S-烷(烯)基半胱氨酸亚砜降解的研究较多，而S-烷(烯)基半胱氨酸亚砜生物合成的研究则较少。S-烷(烯)基半胱氨酸亚砜是植物硫代谢的下游产物，上游涉及含硫化合物的吸收、转运、半胱氨酸和谷胱甘肽的代谢等过程，这些代谢过程的变化可能影响S-烷(烯)基半胱氨酸亚砜生物合成。今后，应加强以下两方面的研究：一方面，继续克隆鉴定S-烷(烯)基半胱氨酸亚砜生物合成途径中的关键酶基因，并研究其功能；另一方面，加强葱属植物硫代谢的研究，为研究S-烷(烯)基半胱氨酸亚砜生物合成的调控奠定基础。该研究结果为深入解析葱属植物S-烷(烯)基半胱氨酸...     

Role of root-mediated interactions in phytotoxic interference of Ageratum conyzoides with rice (Oryza sativa)

Ageratum conyzoides L. (billy goat weed; Asteraceae) is an annual invasive weed native of tropical America and has now naturalized worldwide, particularly in Southeast Asia. The present study investigated the nature and potential of root-mediated allelopathic interference of A. conyzoides against rice (Oryza sativa). Root and shoot length and biomass accumulation of rice were significantly reduced (by 18–30%) when grown in the rhizosphere soil of the weed indicating the release of putative allelochemicals from the weed into the soil. The growth of rice was also progressively reduced in the soil amended with increasing amounts of root residues (5, 10 and 20 g kg⁻¹ soil) of A. conyzoides. The addition of activated charcoal, an inert material with high affinity for organic biomolecules, partly ameliorated the negative effects of root residues amended in the soil. Further, there was no negative effect on the availability of soil nutrients in the root-amended soils. These were rather nutrient rich with greater electrical conductivity, and higher amount of organic matter, thus indicating no role in observed growth reduction. The reduction in allelopathic effects of root residue upon charcoal addition further indicated that putative phytotoxins released from the weed roots are water-soluble phenolic compounds. A significant amount of water-soluble phenolics were present in rhizosphere (∼6-times higher) and root-amended soils (∼5–10-fold higher) and their content was reduced (to ∼3.6–7.0-fold higher) when charcoal was added. The observed growth reduction in Ageratum rhizospheric or root-amended soils was concomitant with the amount of phenolic compounds. Upon HPLC analyses, these were identified as p-coumaric acid, gallic acid, ferulic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and anisic acid. Under laboratory conditions, these phenolic acids reduced the root length and seedling weight of rice individually as well as in equimolar mixture, though no synergistic effect was noticed. The study concludes that root exudates and residues of A. conyzoides suppress the growth of rice by releasing phenolic allelochemicals into the soil rhizosphere and not through alteration of soil nutrients, and allelopathy plays a significant role in root-mediated negative interference of A. conyzoides.     

Three new phenolic glycosides from the whole plant of Aconitum tanguticum (Maxim.) Stapf

Three new phenolic glycosides 2-(3-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) ethanol 1-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (1), 2-(4-O-β-d-fructopyranosylphenyl) ethanol 1-O-β-d-galactopyranoside (2) and 3-methoxy-4-O-β-d-allopyranosyl acetophenone (3), along with nine known compounds (4–12), were isolated from the ethanol extract of the whole plant of Aconitum tanguticum (Maxim.) Stapf. Their structures were elucidated by analysis of spectroscopic data including 1D-, 2D-NMR and HRESIMS, and the reported literature data comparison. All the compounds were evaluated for their potential anti-inflammatory effects by the inhibition of TNF-α production on LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Compounds 1, 3, 5 and 7–9 showed certain inhibition activity and their IC₅₀ values were 38.18, 27.64, 3.25, 84.45, 12.76 and 18.44 μg/mL, respectively.     

New phenolic glycosides isolated from Penthorum chinense Pursh

A phytochemical investigation from 80% ethanol extract of Penthorum chinense Pursh (Saxifragaceae) resulted in the isolation of three new phenolic glycosides (1–3), together with three known phenolic glycosides (4–6). The structures of the new compounds were deduced from their comprehensive spectroscopic analysis including IR, HR-EI-MS, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, DEPT, COSY, HMBC and HMQC. And the structures of known compounds 4–6 were identified by comparison of their spectral data with those reported in the literature.     

Highly selective screening of the bioactive compounds in Huoxue capsule using immobilized β2-adrenoceptor affinity chromatography

A highly selective assay was developed for screening compounds that bind to the porcine recombinant β₂-adrenoceptor (β₂-AR) with affinity chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF–MS). The methodology involved selective screening with immobilized β₂-AR, a highly accurate identification via Q-TOF–MS, and a functional evaluation of the screened compounds with a sensitive myograph system. Ferulic acid, hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), and naringin were confirmed to be the bioactive compounds in Huoxue capsule that specifically bound to the β₂-AR. These compounds produced a concentration-dependent relaxation of arteries that were contracted by treatment with phenylephrine, and the relaxation caused by these compounds was attenuated in the presence of ICI 118551, a type of β₂-AR antagonist. Our data indicate that the use of an immobilized receptor is potentially an alternative method for the rapid screening of bioactive compounds in a complex matrix because of its high specificity. β₂-AR affinity chromatography was valuable in focusing attention on the further investigation of ferulic acid, HSYA, and naringin as β₂-AR agonists.