Comparative studies on pharmacokinetic fates of tetrahydropalmatine enantiomers in different chemical environments in rats

Tetrahydropalmatine (THP) is the active component in Rhizoma corydalis and the medicine Yuanhu-Baizhi (YB), which consists of Rhizoma corydalis and Radix angelicae dahuricae. The aim of this work was to compare pharmacokinetic features of THP enantiomers in rats dosed with racemic THP (rac-THP), Rhizoma corydalis, or YB extracts. A single dose of rac-THP (5 mg kg(-1)) or extracts of Rhizoma corydalis and YB (both equivalent to 5 mg kg(-1) of rac-THP) was given orally to three groups of Sprague-Dawley rats, respectively. Blood samples were collected periodically and plasma concentrations of THP enantiomers were determined using an achiral-chiral high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method previously reported, with some modifications. The C(max) ratio (-/+) of THP was 2.91, 1.38, and 1.19, and the AUC(0 approximately infinity) ratio (-/+) of THP was 2.84, 1.50, and 1.35 in rats after dosed with rac-THP, extracts of Rhizoma corydalis and YB, respectively. The mean AUC(0 approximately infinity) and C(max) of (+)-THP dosed with YB extracts were 0.652 +/- 0.30 microg h ml(-1) and 0.148 +/- 0.09 microg ml(-1), significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those dosed with rac-THP and Rhizoma corydalis extracts. The mean AUC(0 approximately infinity) and T(max) of rac-THP dosed with YB extracts were 1.500 +/- 0.56 microg h ml(-1) and 2.12 +/- 1.1 h, significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those dosed with rac-THP or Rhizoma corydalis extracts. These findings suggested the stereoselectivity in pharmacokinetics of THP enantiomers in rats was decreased when dosed in plant form, while the AUC(0 approximately infinity) of rac-THP increased when YB extracts were dosed, confirming the compatibility in drug combination of Rhizoma corydalis and Radix angelicae dahuricae.     

Aggregation pheromone in Sternechus subsignatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): olfactory behaviour and temporal pattern of emission

The Brazilian soybean stalk weevil, Sternechus subsignatus Boehman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is a pest of economic importance in many regions of Brazil. Volatiles from both sexes of S. subsignatus were collected by aeration and the behavioural response of males and females was evaluated using a Y‐olfactometer. The results obtained demonstrate that the communication in S. subsignatus is mediated by aggregation pheromone as both sexes were attracted to host plant (HP) volatiles, and this attraction was increased by the addition of male volatiles. At least five male‐specific compounds (1–5) were detected in the chromatographic analysis, providing chemical support to the behavioural data. Release of these volatiles is dependent on the presence of the HP as the amount of compounds differs significantly when volatiles are collected from weevils with or without access to food. The release takes place mainly during photophase, showing a peak between 4 and 6 h after its beginning, which is also a peak of the insect activity in the field. Studies are underway to elucidate the structures of these putative aggregation pheromone components, in order to evaluate their biological activity under laboratory and field conditions.     

HPLC指纹图谱技术在灵芝组织分离试验中的应用

利用HPLC指纹图谱技术研究从同一灵芝子实体不同部位组织分离获得的菌株三萜化合物的差异。用常规组织分离方法获得不同菌株,在A、B、C、D四种培养基上进行出菇试验,运用HPLC指纹图谱技术获得各子实体三萜提取物HPLC指纹图谱,计算图谱间的相似度,分析三萜指纹的差异。结果表明,从子实体不同部位分离获得的四个菌株在同一培养基相同条件下培养获得的灵芝子实体的三萜指纹图谱相似度均大于0.99;同一部位分离获得的菌株在不同培养基相同培养条件下获得的子实体,其粗三萜HPLC图谱相似度均大于0.96;不同的组织分离部位和不同的培养基对灵芝菌株三萜指纹图谱的影响均不显著。18号菌株在C培养基上培养获得的子实体三萜含量最高,上层菌肉为最优组织分离部位,C培养基为最优培养基。灵芝的三萜组成不受生长环境的影响,而生长环境会对其三萜化合物含量产生一定的影响。本文首次应用HPLC指纹图谱方法对灵芝组织分离获得的菌株的差异性进行了研究。     

Carbon Pools and Emissions from Deforestation in Extra-Tropical Forests of Northern Argentina Between 1900 and 2005

We estimated carbon pools and emissions from deforestation in northern Argentine forests between 1900 and 2005, based on forest inventories, deforestation estimates from satellite images and historical data on forests and agriculture. Carbon fluxes were calculated using a book-keeping model. We ran 1000 simulations for a 105-year period with different combinations of values of carbon stocks (Mg C ha⁻¹), soil carbon in the top 0.2 m, and annual deforestation series. The 1000 combinations of parameters were performed as a sensitivity analysis that for each run, randomly selected the values of each variable within a predefined range of values and probability distributions. Using the simulation outputs, we calculated the accumulated C emissions due to deforestation from 1900 to 2005 and the annual emission as the average of the 1000 simulations, and uncertainties of our estimates as the standard deviation. We found that northern Argentine forests contain an estimated 4.54 Pg C (2.312 Pg C in biomass and 2.233 Pg C in soil). Between 1900 and 2005 approximately 30% of the forests were deforested, yielding carbon emissions of 0.945 (SD = 0.270) Pg C. Estimated average annual carbon emissions between 1996 and 2005, mostly from deforestation of the Chaco dry forests, were 20,875 (SD = 6,156) Gg C y⁻¹ (1 Gg = 10⁻⁶ Pg). These values represent the largest source of carbon from land-cover change in the extra-tropical southern hemisphere, between 0.9 and 2.7% of the global carbon emissions from deforestation, and approximately 10% of carbon emissions from the Brazilian Amazon. Deforestation, which has accelerated during the last decades as a result of modern agriculture expansion, represents a major national source of greenhouse gases and the second emission source, after fossil fuel consumption by fixed sources. We conclude that Argentine forests are an important carbon pool and emission source that need more attention for accurate global estimates, and seasonally dry forest deforestation is a key component of the Argentine carbon cycle. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Chemical Composition and Biological Prospects of Essential Oils and Extracts of Aphyllocladus spartioides Growing in Northwest Argentina

Aphyllocladus spartioides Wedd . is a native and aromatic herb used in traditional medicine, however it is still poorly investigated. In this work, the volatile profile of A. spartioides growing in Hornillos‐Northwest Argentina was determined by GC/MS/FID and the phenolic compounds of hydroethanolic and decoction extracts were analyzed by HPLC‐DAD. The antibacterial potential, antioxidant activity and α‐glucosidase inhibition activity were checked by in vitro assays. The volatile profile allowed the identification of 68 compounds, being α‐pinene and cadinene the main ones. Eighteen phenolics were identified, isorhamnetin derivatives and different phenolic acid derivatives were found in higher amounts, mainly in the hydroethanolic extract. A concentration‐dependent activity was noticed against DPPH^·, , and α‐glucosidase, these activities being reported for the first time. Hydroethanolic extract was most active against DPPH^·, ^·NO and α‐glucosidase (IC₅₀ = 79, 206 and 181 μg/ml). Decoction extract proved to be better against (IC₅₀ = 20 μg/ml). Regarding the antibacterial activity, hydroethanolic extract was more active compared with decoction and essential oil. MICs of 0.3 – 0.6 mg/ml were obtained against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Micrococcus luteus. Results suggest that the extracts of A. spartioides from Northwest Argentina may be interesting to use as a source of natural antioxidants/antimicrobials for pharmaceutical incorporations or food supplementation.     

利用回交导入系群体定位大豆蛋白质含量与脂肪含量QTL

对大豆的蛋白质含量和脂肪含量进行QTL定位,可为其分子标记辅助育种提供依据。以回交导入系群体中黄13×中黄20的BC2F5的100个家系为材料,分析群体的SSR标记多态性,采用近红外光谱分析技术测定群体蛋白质含量和脂肪含量。构建了一张涵盖大豆20个连锁群、总长为948.01 c M、平均遗传距离为8.78 c M、包含108个SSR标记的大豆遗传连锁图谱。共检测到与蛋白质含量相关的QTL 5个,与脂肪含量相关的QTL 9个,其中Satt445~Sat_303连续2年被检测到与脂肪含量相关,Satt445~Sat_303与Satt543~Satt574均被检测到与蛋白质含量和脂肪含量相关,Sat_389~Satt590、Satt238~Satt388及Satt685~Sat_381均与脂肪含量相关。     

Development and utilization of a new chemically‐induced soybean library with a high mutation density

Mutagenized populations have provided important materials for introducing variation and identifying gene function in plants. In this study, an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)‐induced soybean (Glycine max) population, consisting of 21,600 independent M₂ lines, was developed. Over 1,000 M_{4 (5)} families, with diverse abnormal phenotypes for seed composition, seed shape, plant morphology and maturity that are stably expressed across different environments and generations were identified. Phenotypic analysis of the population led to the identification of a yellow pigmentation mutant, gyl, that displayed significantly decreased chlorophyll (Chl) content and abnormal chloroplast development. Sequence analysis showed that gyl is allelic to MinnGold, where a different single nucleotide polymorphism variation in the Mg‐chelatase subunit gene (ChlI1a) results in golden yellow leaves. A cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence marker was developed and may be applied to marker‐assisted selection for the golden yellow phenotype in soybean breeding. We show that the newly developed soybean EMS mutant population has potential for functional genomics research and genetic improvement in soybean.     

液态发酵豆粕制备纳豆激酶方法的优化

纳豆激酶是一种丝氨酸蛋白酶,具有很强的纤溶活性,由于具有安全性好、作用迅速持久、成本低等优点,适合用于开发新一代的溶栓剂或保健食品,具有广阔的市场前景。本研究探讨了以豆粕为原料液态发酵豆粕生产纳豆激酶的发酵方法。首先通过单因素实验发现影响产酶的主要因素有接菌量、发酵时间、培养基pH及豆粕含量,再由正交实验得到最优组合为接菌量1%,豆粕含量2%,pH为7.0,发酵时间48h,该条件下发酵酶活力最高达到4 429.6U/mL。本研究确定了以豆粕为原料制备纳豆激酶的最佳条件,为豆粕的合理使用和纳豆激酶的工业化生产提供了实验依据。     

Expression and characterization of soybean seed coat peroxidase in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)

Soybean seed coat peroxidase (SBP) is a valuable enzyme having a broad variety of applications in analytical chemistry, biochemistry, and food processing. In the present study, the sscp gene (Gene ID: 548068) was optimized based on the preferred codon usage of Escherichia coli, synthesized, and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3). SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis of this expressed protein revealed that its molecular weight is approximately 39?kDa. The effects of induction temperature, concentration of isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside and hemin, induction time, expression time were optimized to enhance SBP production with a maximum activity of 11.23?U/mL (8.64?U/mg total protein). Furthermore, the kinetics of enzyme-catalyzed reactions of recombinant protein was determined. When 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) was used as substrate, optimum reaction temperature and pH of the enzyme were 85°C and 5.0, respectively. The effects of metal ions on the enzymatic reaction were also further investigated. The SBP was successfully expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) which would provide a more efficient production strategy for industrial applications of SBP.