Integrated antiherbivore, antidesiccant and ultraviolet screening properties of creosotebush resin

The surface leaf resin of creosotebush, Larrea spp. (Zygophyllaceae) exhibits antiherbivore, antidesiccant and UV screening properties. Composed mainly of monomeric phenolic aglycones, the resin absorbs most radiation of wavelength shorter than 410 nm, reduces the rate of evaporative water loss across cellulose membrane and exhibits tannin-like protein-complexing and digestibility-reducing properties. Leaf-chewing insects prefer mature leaves which have a lower resin content than young leaves. A phenoloxidaes system present in the leaves probably enhances the digestibility-reducing action of resin on in vitro proteolysis and growth-rates of Astroma quadrilobatum (Orthoptera: Proscopiidae) are negatively correlated with resin-phenoloxidase activity as measured by macerated leaf oxygen demand. Non-ideal behaviour of the resin is suggestive of cooperative action between components.     

Gut pH, redox conditions and oxygen levels in an aquatic caterpillar: potential effects on the fate of ingested tannins

Larvae of the freshwater moth Acentria ephemerella (Pyralidae, Lepidoptera) can fully develop on Myriophyllum spicatum, a submerged macrophyte containing 7-10% of its dry mass as tannins. We investigated the physicochemical gut parameters of larvae fed with M. spicatum or Potamogeton perfoliatus, a food plant lacking tannins, and the chemical fate of ingested polyphenols. Microelectrode studies revealed that larval midguts were slightly alkaline (pH 8) and had a positive redox potential. Whole guts were oxygen sinks owing to the oxygen demand of the gut contents. Oxygen penetrated the midgut up to 100 microm, but the centres of the foregut and midgut were always anoxic. The physicochemical parameters of the guts did not change with the food plant. The major tannin from M. spicatum, tellimagrandin II, was significantly depleted in the midgut and was not detected in faeces. In vitro studies indicated that tellimagrandin II is rapidly depleted mainly through oxidation, and hydrolysis might also occur. Our findings for A. ephemerella are compared with those for terrestrial Lepidoptera, and possible mechanisms for adaptations to tannin-rich food plants are discussed.     

Convergent evolution in feeding types: salivary gland mass differences in wild ruminant species

In the ongoing debate about divergent evolutionary morphophysiological adaptations of grazing and browsing ruminants, the size of the salivary glands has received special attention. Here, we report the most comprehensive dataset on ruminant salivary glands so far, with data on the Glandula parotis (n=62 species), Gl. mandibularis (n=61), Gl. buccalis ventralis (n=44), and Gl. sublingualis (n=30). All four salivary gland complexes showed allometric scaling with body mass (BM); in all cases, the 95% confidence interval for the allometric exponent included 0.75 but did not include 1.0 (linearity); therefore, like other parameters linked to the process of food intake, salivary gland mass appears to be correlated to metabolic body weight (BM0.75), and comparisons of relative salivary gland mass between species should rather be made on the basis of BM0.75 than as a percentage of BM. In the subsequent analyses, the percentage of grass (%grass) in the natural diet was used to characterize the feeding type; the phylogenetic tree used for a controlled statistical evaluation was entirely based on mitochondrial DNA information. Regardless of phylogenetic control in the statistical treatment, there was, for all four gland complexes, a significant positive correlation of BM and gland mass, and a significant negative correlation between %grass in the natural diet and gland mass. If the Gl. parotis was analyzed either for cervid or for bovid species only, the negative correlation of gland mass and %grass was still significant in either case; an inspection of certain ruminant subfamilies, however, suggested that a convergent evolutionary adaptation can only be demonstrated if a sufficient variety of ruminant subfamilies are included in a dataset. The results support the concept that ruminant species that ingest more grass have smaller salivary glands, possibly indicating a reduced requirement for the production of salivary tannin-binding proteins.     

Effectiveness of Green Tea Tannin on Rats with Chronic Renal Failure

The effects of green tea tannin on nephrectomized rats were examined. There were increases in blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and urinary protein, and a decrease in creatinine clearance in the nephrectomized control rats, whereas better results for these parameters were obtained in rats given green tea tannin after nephrectomy, demonstrating a suppressed progression of the renal failure. When the renal parenchyma was partially resected, the remnant kidney showed a decrease in the activity of radical scavenger enzymes. Green tea tannin, however, was found to lighten the kidney under such oxidative stress. Mesangial proliferation and glomerular sclerotic lesions, which were conspicuous in the rats that were not given green tea tannin after nephrectomy, were also relieved.     

Inducing condensed tannin production in Colophospermum mopane: Absence of response to soil N and P fertility and physical damage

The effects of available soil N and P and the effect of simulated browsing (leave removal) on foliar condensed tannin (CT) concentration were tested on young Colophospermum mopane (J. Kirk ex Benth) J. Leonard (Mopane) plants. Although clear differences in growth occurred between different levels of soil N, no differences in foliar CT concentration were found. Changes in available soil P and physical damage did not affect the plant growth or chemical composition. The complete absence of response of CT concentration to physical damage and soil nutrients may be related to the age of the trees in this study. It is proposed that existing theories on the interaction between soil properties and carbon based defences in trees are expanded, to include the potential responses of young trees to different soil nutrient levels.     

植物单宁的絮凝研究

研究了利用超临界CO2萃取技术提取的植物单宁提取液对高岭土悬浊液的絮凝效果。通过烧杯混凝试验进行单因素试验研究,确定了植物单宁对高岭土悬浊液的最佳浓度、投加量、沉淀时间、pH值和温度。试验表明,植物单宁具有一定的絮凝作用,对高岭土悬浊液的絮凝处理效果较好,得到较适宜的絮凝处理条件为：处理浓度20mL／L,投加量60mL,沉淀时间5min,pH值3．0,温度25℃。     

C-Glucosidic ellagitannin oligomers from Melaleuca squarrosa Donn ex Sm., Myrtaceae

C-Glucosidic ellagitannin dimers were classified as types A-C according to a putative biogenetic oligomerization mode. They were characterized by different positions of the C-C bond between the phenolic acyl unit in one monomer and the benzylic C-1 of the open-chain glucose core in the other monomer. In recent years, four C-glucosidic tannins, melasquanins A-D (18-21), have been found in the leaves of Melaleuca squarrosa Donn ex Sm. (Myrtaceae). These are characterized as a dimer (melasquanin A) of a dimerization mode (type D), and trimers (melasquanins B-D) based on spectroscopic analysis including various two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR) experiments. Melasquanins B (19) and D (21) are C-glucosidic tannin trimers with a structure containing, non-repeating condensation modes, which was hitherto unknown.     

Plasticization and crosslinking effects of acetone-formaldehyde and tannin resins on wheat protein-based natural polymers

Efficient plasticization and sufficient crosslinking were achieved by using an acetone-formaldehyde (AF) resin as an additive in the thermal processing of wheat protein-based natural polymers. The mobile AF resin and its strong intermolecular interactions with a wheat protein matrix produced sufficient flexibility for the plastics, while the covalent bonds formed between AF and the protein chains also caused the water-soluble resin to be retained in the materials under wet conditions. The mechanical properties of the materials were also enhanced as an additional benefit due to the formation of crosslinked networks through the polymer matrix. Tensile strength was further enhanced when using AF in conjunction with tannin resin (AFTR) in the systems as rigid aromatic structures were formed in the crosslinking segments. Different components in wheat proteins (WPs) or wheat gluten (WG) (e.g., proteins, residual starch and lipids) displayed different capabilities in interaction and reaction with the AFTR additives, and thus resulted in different performances when the ratio of these components varied in the materials. The application of the AFTR additives provides a feasible methodology to thermally process wheat protein-based natural polymers with improved mechanical performance and water-resistant properties.     

塔拉单宁水解酶产生条件的研究

微生物通过发酵产酶可以将植物单宁降解成小分子酚类化合物或其衍生物,但培养条件对其产酶影响很大。论文采用固态培养法,对黑曲霉产生塔拉单宁水解酶的条件进行了研究。结果表明,当培养液中塔拉单宁浓度为75 g/L、葡萄糖浓度为3 g/L、(NH4)2SO4浓度为0.2 g/L2、50 mL锥形瓶装液量为25 mL、惰性载体用量为5.6%(w/v)、起始pH为5.5、接种量为12%(v/v)、30℃培养72 h时,该黑曲霉产生的塔拉单宁水解酶活力可达到44.29 U/mL,是其自然条件下酶活力(24.09 U/mL)的1.84倍;没食子酸产率达到79.3%。研究结果对于揭示塔拉单宁生物降解的机理具有一定的参考价值。     

虎杖鞣质的糖苷酶抑制作用研究

本文研究了虎杖鞣质对-αD-葡萄糖苷酶、蔗糖酶、乳糖酶和α-淀粉酶的抑制活性,以探讨其降血糖机制。结果显示虎杖鞣质除对α-淀粉酶几乎没有抑制活性外,对其余糖苷酶均显示不同程度的抑制活性,其降血糖机理可能是通过调控糖苷酶活性实现的。