Association of rs1137101 with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus of Mongolian and Han Chinese.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HTN) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are often coincident, and each condition is considered a risk factor for the other. Both occur frequently in the Inner Mongolia region of China. The reasons for differences in risk between Han and Mongolian ethnic groups are not known. The LEPR gene and its polymorphism, rs1137101 (Gln223Arg), are both considered risk factors for HTN and T2DM, but any role of rs1137101 in the occurrence of HTN + T2DM remains unclear for Mongolian and Han populations in the Inner Mongolia region. AIM: To investigate the relationship between rs1137101 and the occurrence of HTN with T2DM in Mongolian and Han populations in Inner Mongolia. METHODS: A total of 2652 subjects of Han and Mongolian ethnic origins were enrolled in the current study, including 908 healthy controls, 1061 HTN patients and 683 HTN patients with T2DM. RESULTS: The association between the rs1137101 polymorphism and HTN with T2DM was analyzed, and differences between Han and Mongolian individuals assessed. There was a significant correlation between rs1137101 and HTN (co-dominant, dominant, over-dominant and log-additive models) and HTN + T2DM (co-dominant, dominant, over-dominant and log-additive models) after adjustment for sex and age in individuals of Mongolian origin. rs1137101 was significantly associated with HTN (co-dominant, recessive and log-additive models) and HTN + T2DM (co-dominant, dominant, over-dominant and log-additive models) in the Han Chinese population. CONCLUSION: Mongolian and Han subjects from Inner Mongolia with HTN who had rs1137101 were protected against the development of T2DM. Allele A has the opposite impact on the occurrence of HTN in Mongolian and Han Chinese populations.

Melatonin-mediated regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis and antioxidant defense confer tolerance to arsenic stress in Camellia sinensis L.

Arsenic is a toxic metalloid for both animals and plants. The signaling molecule melatonin can enhance abiotic stress tolerance, but the effects of As and melatonin on tea plants and the mechanisms of resilience remain unclear. Here we report that excess As causes severe oxidative stress in tea leaves as revealed by significantly reduced maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem-II, and increased reactive oxygen species accumulation and lipid peroxidation. However, exogenous melatonin application alleviated the As phytotoxicity and increased the anthocyanin content upto 69.4 % by selectively upregulating the expression of its biosynthetic genes such as CsCHS and CsANS. Comparison of As tolerance between two tea genotypes differing in basal levels of anthocyanin revealed that a tea cultivar with increased anthocyanin content, Zijuan (ZJ), showed enhanced tolerance to As stress compared with Longjing 43 (LJ43) that contained relatively low levels of anthocyanin. Interestingly, exogenous anthocyanin also enhanced As tolerance in LJ43, but exogenous melatonin did not improve As tolerance in ZJ genotype. Analysis of As content in tea leaves revealed that melatonin significantly reduced As content in LJ43 but not in ZJ, suggesting that melatonin-enhanced tolerance to As stress is largely dependent on the basal levels of anthocyanin in tea plants.

Exogenous melatonin improves tea quality under moderate high temperatures by increasing epigallocatechin-3-gallate and theanine biosynthesis in Camellia sinensis L.

Global warming has multifarious effects on crop growth and productivity. Nonetheless, the effects of moderate-high temperatures and melatonin on tea yield and quality remain unclear. In this study, we found that melatonin, a universal growth stimulatory molecule, not only promotes photosynthesis and biomass accumulation in tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.) but also improves tea quality under sub high temperature (SHT). SHT increased the dry biomass and photosynthesis by 40.8% and 28.1%, respectively, and exogenous melatonin caused a further improvement. Moreover, SHT increased the total polyphenol concentrations and decreased the free amino acid concentrations, leading to a significant increase (68.2%) in polyphenol to free amino acid ratio. However, melatonin decreased the polyphenol to free amino acid ratio by delicately improving the concentrations of polyphenols and amino acids. Consistent with the total polyphenol, melatonin increased the concentrations of (-)-catechin, (-)-gallocatechin (GC), and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in tea leaves. The qRT-PCR analysis revealed that melatonin increased the transcript levels of catechins biosynthesis genes, such as CsCHS, CsCH1, CsF3H, CsDFR, CsANS, CsLAR, and CsANR under SHT. Meanwhile, the theanine concentration was decreased by SHT, which was attributed to the attenuated expression of CsGS, CsGOGAT, CsGDH, and CsTS1. Nonetheless, melatonin significantly increased those transcripts and the content of theanine under SHT. Melatonin also increased the caffeine content by inducing the expression of CsTIDH, CssAMS, and CsTCS1. These results suggest that melatonin could positively alter tea growth and quality by modulating the photosynthesis and biosynthesis of polyphenols, amino acids, and caffeine in tea leaves under SHT.

Changes in Tea Plant Secondary Metabolite Profiles as a Function of Leafhopper Density and Damage.

Insect herbivores have dramatic effects on the chemical composition of plants. Many of these induced metabolites contribute to the quality (e.g., flavor, human health benefits) of specialty crops such as the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). Induced chemical changes are often studied by comparing plants damaged and undamaged by herbivores. However, when herbivory is quantitative, the relationship between herbivore pressure and induction can be linearly or non-linearly density dependent or density independent, and induction may only occur after some threshold of herbivory. The shape of this relationship can vary among metabolites within plants. The tea green leafhopper (Empoasca onukii) can be a widespread pest on tea, but some tea farmers take advantage of leafhopper-induced metabolites in order to produce high-quality "bug-bitten" teas such as Eastern Beauty oolong. To understand the effects of increasing leafhopper density on tea metabolites important for quality, we conducted a manipulative experiment exposing tea plants to feeding by a range of E. onukii densities. After E. onukii feeding, we measured volatile and non-volatile metabolites, and quantified percent damaged leaf area from scanned leaf images. E. onukii density had a highly significant effect on volatile production, while the effect of leaf damage was only marginally significant. The volatiles most responsive to leafhopper density were mainly terpenes that increased in concentration monotonically with density, while the volatiles most responsive to leaf damage were primarily fatty acid derivatives and volatile phenylpropanoids/benzenoids. In contrast, damage (percent leaf area damaged), but not leafhopper density, significantly reduced total polyphenols, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and theobromine concentrations in a dose-dependent manner. The shape of induced responses varied among metabolites with some changing linearly with herbivore pressure and some responding only after a threshold in herbivore pressure with a threshold around 0.6 insects/leaf being common. This study illustrates the importance of measuring a diversity of metabolites over a range of herbivory to fully understand the effects of herbivores on induced metabolites. Our study also shows that any increases in leafhopper density associated with climate warming, could have dramatic effects on secondary metabolites and tea quality.

miR-1915-3p inhibits Bcl-2 expression in the development of gastric cancer.

Many gene expressions changed during the development of gastric cancer, and non-coding RNAs including microRNAs (miRNAs) have been found to regulate cancer progression by participating in the process of tumor cell growth, migration, invasion and apoptosis. Our previous study has identified 29 miRNAs that are highly expressed in gastric cancer stem cells. One of these miRNAs, miR-1915-3p, has shown great potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for the cancers in liver, colon and thyroid, as well as in immune and kidney diseases. Herein, we found that miR-1915-3p exhibited low expression level in differentiated gastric cancer cell lines and gastric cancer tissues. It was found that the miR-1915-3p inhibited the growth of gastric cancer cells and thus promoted cell apoptosis. We discovered that the expressions of miR-1915-3p were significantly correlated to the lymph node metastasis and overall survival of patients with gastric cancer. Further study showed that there was a negative correlation between miR-1915-3p and Bcl-2 (B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2) expression, suggesting that Bcl-2 was a target gene of miR-1915-3p. Hence, miR-1915-3p possibly contributes to the development and progression of gastric cancer by inhibiting the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. The finding provides a potential therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer.

Methyl Salicylate Enhances Flavonoid Biosynthesis in Tea Leaves by Stimulating the Phenylpropanoid Pathway.

The phytohormone salicylic acid (SA) is a secondary metabolite that regulates plant growth, development and responses to stress. However, the role of SA in the biosynthesis of flavonoids (a large class of secondary metabolites) in tea (Camellia sinensis L.) remains largely unknown. Here, we show that exogenous methyl salicylate (MeSA, the methyl ester of SA) increased flavonoid concentration in tea leaves in a dose-dependent manner. While a moderate concentration of MeSA (1 mM) resulted in the highest increase in flavonoid concentration, a high concentration of MeSA (5 mM) decreased flavonoid concentration in tea leaves. A time-course of flavonoid concentration following 1 mM MeSA application showed that flavonoid concentration peaked at 2 days after treatment and then gradually declined, reaching a concentration lower than that of control after 6 days. Consistent with the time course of flavonoid concentration, MeSA enhanced the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, a key enzyme for the biosynthesis of flavonoids) as early as 12 h after the treatment, which peaked after 1 day and then gradually declined upto 6 days. qRT-PCR analysis of the genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis revealed that exogenous MeSA upregulated the expression of genes such as CsPAL, CsC4H, Cs4CL, CsCHS, CsCHI, CsF3H, CsDFR, CsANS and CsUFGT in tea leaves. These results suggest a role for MeSA in modulating the flavonoid biosynthesis in green tea leaves, which might have potential implications in manipulating the tea quality and stress tolerance in tea plants.

Brassinosteroids Attenuate Moderate High Temperature-Caused Decline in Tea Quality by Enhancing Theanine Biosynthesis in Camellia sinensis L.

Temperature is a major environmental signal that governs plant growth and development. A moderately high ambient temperature alters plant metabolism without significant induction of heat-stress responses. Despite ancillary reports on the negative effect of warmer climate on tea quality, information on specific effect of sub high temperature (SHT) on theanine accumulation is scanty. L-Theanine is the most abundant free amino acid in tea (Camellia sinensis L.) leaves that contributes to the unique umami flavor of green tea infusion. Tea harvested in warmer months lacks distinctive umami taste due to low theanine content. In this study, we showed that SHT (35°C) gradually decreased theanine concentration over time, which was closely associated with the SHT-induced suppression in theanine biosynthetic genes. 24-epibrassinolide (BR), a bioactive brassinosteroids, attenuated the SHT-induced reduction in theanine concentration by upregulating the transcript levels of theanine biosynthetic genes, such as ARGININE DECARBOXYLASE (CsADC), GLUTAMINE SYNTHETASE (CsGS), GLUTAMATE SYNTHASE (CsGOGAT) and THEANINE SYNTHASE (CsTS). Furthermore, time-course analysis of the activity of theanine biosynthetic enzyme reveals that BR-induced regulation of GS and GOGAT activity plays essential role in maintaining theanine content in tea leaves under SHT, which is consistent with the central position of GOGAT in theanine biosynthetic pathway. Therefore, it is convincing to propose that exogenous BR treatment can be advocated to improve summer tea quality by enhancing in vivo accumulation of theanine. However, a future challenge is to use this information on the role of BR in theanine biosynthesis and thermotolerance to further understand how BR may be tuned to benefit plant fitness for enhancing tea quality.

Exogenous Melatonin Alleviates Cold Stress by Promoting Antioxidant Defense and Redox Homeostasis in Camellia sinensis L.

The unprecedented early spring frost that appears as a cold stress adversely affects growth and productivity in tea (Camellia sinensis L.); therefore, it is indispensable to develop approaches to improve the cold tolerance of tea. Here, we investigated the effect of pretreatment with exogenous melatonin on the net photosynthetic rate, the maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII, chlorophyll content, lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, antioxidant potential, and redox homeostasis in leaves of tea plants following cold stress. Our results revealed that cold treatment induced oxidative stress by increasing ROS accumulation, which in turn affected the photosynthetic process in tea leaves. However, treatment with melatonin mitigated cold-induced reductions in photosynthetic capacity by reducing oxidative stress through enhanced antioxidant potential and redox homeostasis. This study provides strong evidence that melatonin could alleviate cold-induced adverse effects in tea plants.

Stimulation in primary and secondary metabolism by elevated carbon dioxide alters green tea quality in Camellia sinensis L.

Rising CO2 concentration, a driving force of climate change, is impacting global food security by affecting plant physiology. Nevertheless, the effects of elevated CO2 on primary and secondary metabolism in tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.) still remain largely unknown. Here we showed that exposure of tea plants to elevated CO2 (800 µmol mol-1 for 24 d) remarkably improved both photosynthesis and respiration in tea leaves. Furthermore, elevated CO2 increased the concentrations of soluble sugar, starch and total carbon, but decreased the total nitrogen concentration, resulting in an increased carbon to nitrogen ratio in tea leaves. Among the tea quality parameters, tea polyphenol, free amino acid and theanine concentrations increased, while the caffeine concentration decreased after CO2 enrichment. The concentrations of individual catechins were altered differentially resulting in an increased total catechins concentration under elevated CO2 condition. Real-time qPCR analysis revealed that the expression levels of catechins and theanine biosynthetic genes were up-regulated, while that of caffeine synthetic genes were down-regulated in tea leaves when grown under elevated CO2 condition. These results unveiled profound effects of CO2 enrichment on photosynthesis and respiration in tea plants, which eventually modulated the biosynthesis of key secondary metabolites towards production of a quality green tea.

Nitric oxide mediates brassinosteroid-induced flavonoid biosynthesis in Camellia sinensis L.

Flavonoids are one of the key secondary metabolites determining the quality of tea. Although exogenous brassinosteroid (BR), a steroidal plant hormone, can stimulate polyphenol biosynthesis in tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.), the relevance of endogenous BR in flavonoid accumulation and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here we show that BR enhances flavonoid concentration in tea leaves by inducing an increase in the endogenous concentration of nitric oxide (NO). Notably, exogenous BR increased levels of flavonoids as well as NO in a concentration dependent manner, while suppression of BR levels by an inhibitor of BR biosynthesis, brassinazole (BRz), decreased the concentrations of both flavonoids and NO in tea leaves. Interestingly, combined treatment of BR and BRz reversed the inhibitory effect of BRz alone on the concentrations of flavonoids and NO. Likewise, exogenous NO also increased flavonoids and NO levels dose-dependently. When the NO level in tea leaves was suppressed by using a NO scavenger, 2,4-carboxyphenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (cPTIO), flavonoid concentration dramatically decreased. Although individual application of 0.1µM BR increased the concentrations of flavonoids and NO, combined treatment with exogenous NO scavenger, cPTIO, reversed the effect of BR on flavonoid concentration. Furthermore, BR or sodium nitroprusside (SNP) promoted but cPTIO inhibited the transcription and activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) in leaves, while combined treatment of BR with SNP or cPTIO had no additive effect. The results of this study suggest that an optimal level of endogenous NO is essential for BR-induced promotion of flavonoid biosynthesis in tea leaves. In conclusion, this study unveiled a crucial mechanism of BR-induced flavonoid biosynthesis, which might have potential implication in improving the quality of tea.

Brassinosteroids Improve Quality of Summer Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) by Balancing Biosynthesis of Polyphenols and Amino Acids.

Summer grown green tea is less popular due to bitterness and high astringency, which are attributed to high levels of tea polyphenols (TP) and low levels of amino acids (AA) in tea leaves (Camellia sinensis L.). Brassinosteroids (BRs), a group of steroidal plant hormones can regulate primary and secondary metabolism in a range of plant species under both normal and stress conditions. However, specific effects of BRs on the photosynthesis of tea plants and the quality of summer green tea are largely unknown. Here we show that 24-epibrassinolide (EBR), a bioactive BR, promoted photosynthesis in tea plants in a concentration-dependent manner. Stimulation in photosynthesis by EBR resulted in an increased summer tea yield. Although all tested concentrations (0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 ppm) of EBR increased concentrations of TP and AA, a moderate concentration (0.5 ppm) caused the highest decrease in TP to AA ratio, an important feature of quality tea. Time-course analysis using 0.5 ppm EBR as foliar spray revealed that TP or AA concentration increased as early as 3 h after EBR application, reaching the highest peak at 24 h and that remained more or less stable. Importantly, such changes in TP and AA concentration by EBR resulted in a remarkably decreased but stable TP to AA ratio at 24 h and onward. Furthermore, concentrations of catechins and theanine increased, while that of caffeine remained unaltered following treatment with EBR. EBR improved activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and glutamine: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GOGAT) enzymes involved in catechins and theanine biosynthesis, respectively. Transcript analysis revealed that transcript levels of CsPAL and CsGS peaked as early as 6 h, while that of CsGOGAT peaked at 12 h following application of EBR, implying that EBR increased the concentration of TP and AA by inducing their biosynthesis. These results suggest a positive role of BR in enhancing green tea quality, which might have potential implication in improving quality of summer tea.

Developmental changes in carbon and nitrogen metabolism affect tea quality in different leaf position.

Leaf position represents a specific developmental stage that influences both photosynthesis and respiration. However, the precise relationships between photosynthesis and respiration in different leaf position that affect tea quality are largely unknown. Here, we show that the effective quantum yield of photosystem II [ΦPSⅡ] as well as total chlorophyll concentration (TChl) of tea leaves increased gradually with leaf maturity. Moreover, respiration rate (RR) together with total nitrogen concentration (TN) decreased persistently, but total carbon remained unchanged during leaf maturation. Analyses of major N-based organic compounds revealed that decrease in TN was attributed to a significant decrease in the concentration of caffeine and amino acids (AA) in mature leaves. Furthermore, soluble sugar (SS) decreased, but starch concentration increased with leaf maturity, indicating that source-sink relationship was altered during tea leaf development. Detailed correlation analysis showed that ΦPSⅡ was negatively correlated with RR, SS, starch, tea polyphenol (TP), total catechins and TN, but positively correlated with TChl; while RR was positively correlated with TN, SS, TP and caffeine, but negatively correlated with TChl and starch concentrations. Our results suggest that biosynthesis of chlorophyll, catechins and polyphenols is closely associated with photosynthesis and respiration in different leaf position that greatly influences the relationship between primary and secondary metabolism in tea plants.

Thrombocytopenia in Patients Receiving Prolonged Linezolid May be Caused by Oxidative Stress.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Oxidative stress in drug-induced thrombocytopenia (TP) has been discussed. This study was carried out to assess the oxidative stress in patients with normal platelet count (NPC) and TP after linezolid (LZD) treatment and to evaluate if TP caused by LZD is associated with a reduction in antioxidation ability and an increase in lipid peroxidative product in platelets. METHODS: After LZD treatment for 20 days, 44 patients with TP and 73 patients with NPC were included in this study. Blood samples were collected on the day before medicine treatment and day 7, 14, and 20 after LZD therapy. Levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and cholesterol as well as the activities of antioxidative enzyme were estimated. In addition, we identified 37 patients with TP caused by low-dose methotrexate (7.5-25 mg/week) therapy as a positive control group. RESULTS: In total, 37.60% of cases presented with TP on the 20th day of LZD administration. Individuals with TP had significantly elevated levels of ROS and MDA, low levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), significantly decreased high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels, and increased oxidized-LDL levels in comparison to individuals with NPC. However, no significant changes in the levels of glutathione-peroxidase were found in the course of time. In all cases with LZD, significant increases in levels of ROS, MDA, and ox-LDL were found in the 20-day samples compared with their respective samples before LZD treatment. Correlation analysis revealed a positive association between platelet count and levels of SOD on day 20 and CAT on days 14 and 20 in plasma, a negative association between platelet count and level of MDA and ROS on days 14 and 20 in patients with LZD-induced TP. CONCLUSIONS: The oxidative stress markers were increased in LZD-induced TP, suggesting that oxidative damage might be the underlying mechanism.

Soil respiration under different land uses in Eastern China.

Land-use change has a crucial influence on soil respiration, which further affects soil nutrient availability and carbon stock. We monitored soil respiration rates under different land-use types (tea gardens with three production levels, adjacent woodland, and a vegetable field) in Eastern China at weekly intervals over a year using the dynamic closed chamber method. The relationship between soil respiration and environmental factors was also evaluated. The soil respiration rate exhibited a remarkable single peak that was highest in July/August and lowest in January. The annual cumulative respiration flux increased by 25.6% and 20.9% in the tea garden with high production (HP) and the vegetable field (VF), respectively, relative to woodland (WL). However, no significant differences were observed between tea gardens with medium production (MP), low production (LP), WL, and VF. Soil respiration rates were significantly and positively correlated with organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available phosphorous content. Each site displayed a significant exponential relationship between soil respiration and soil temperature measured at 5 cm depth, which explained 84-98% of the variation in soil respiration. The model with a combination of soil temperature and moisture was better at predicting the temporal variation of soil respiration rate than the single temperature model for all sites. Q10 was 2.40, 2.00, and 1.86-1.98 for VF, WL, and tea gardens, respectively, indicating that converting WL to VF increased and converting to tea gardens decreased the sensitivity of soil respiration to temperature. The equation of the multiple linear regression showed that identical factors, including soil organic carbon (SOC), soil water content (SWC), pH, and water soluble aluminum (WSAl), drove the changes in soil respiration and Q10 after conversion of land use. Temporal variations of soil respiration were mainly controlled by soil temperature, whereas spatial variations were influenced by SOC, SWC, pH, and WSAl.

[Vertical distribution characteristics of N2O emission in tea garden and its adjacent woodland].

In this study, we determined the vertical distribution of N2O emission rates in tea soils and its adjacent woodland soils. The results showed that total nitrogen contents, N2O fluxes and cumulative emissions in the tea garden and woodland decreased with the increasing depth of the soil layer, and their average values were greater in tea garden than in woodland. Generally, pH, soil water soluble organic nitrogen (WSON), soil microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), NO(3-)-N and NH(4+)-N contents had a downward trend with the increasing depth of soil layer. The WSON, MBN, NO(3-)-N and NH(4+)-N contents from each soil layer were greater in tea garden than in woodland, but the pH value in tea garden was lower than that in woodland. The N2O emission rate was significantly positively related with TN, MBN and NH(4+)-N contents, but not with pH value. The N2O emission rate was significantly correlated with WSON content in woodland, but not in tea garden. The N20 emission rate was significantly correlated with NO(3-)-N concentration in tea garden, but not in woodland. WSON/TN and N2O-N/SMBN were averagely greater than in tea garden in woodland, and SMBN/TN was opposite. These results indicated that tea soil was not conducive to accumulate nitrogen pool, maintain soil quality and its sustainable use compared to woodland.

Oxytocin via its receptor affects restraint stress-induced methamphetamine CPP reinstatement in mice: Involvement of the medial prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus glutamatergic system.

Our previous study revealed that intracerebroventricular oxytocin (OT) markedly inhibited the restraint stress-priming conditioned place preference (CPP) reinstatement induced by methamphetamine (MAP) via the glutamatergic system. In this study, the effect of microinjection with OT into mesocorticolimbic regions, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the dorsal hippocampus (DHC), on the restraint stress-priming CPP reinstatement were further studied. The results showed that a 15-min restraint stress significantly reinstated MAP-induced CPP, which was inhibited by the microinjection of OT (0.5 and 2.5µg/µl/mouse) into the mPFC. Atosiban (Ato), a selective inhibitor of OT receptor, could absolutely block the effect of OT (2.5µg/µl/mouse). The reinstatement was inhibited by microinjecting with OT (2.5 but not 0.5µg/µl/mouse) into the DHC, which could not be reversed by Ato. Western blotting results showed that the levels of GLT1, VGLUT2, NR2B, p-ERK1/2 and p-CREB expressions in the mPFC were increased and CaMKII was decreased markedly after the stress-priming MAP-induced CPP reinstatement test. OT blocked the changing levels of GLT1, VGLUT2, NR2B, p-CREB and CaMK II, which were reversed by Ato, but failed to affect the elevated expression of p-ERK1/2. In DHC, the levels of VGLUT2, p-ERK1/2 and CREB expressions were reduced during the stress-induced reinstatement, which could be reversed by OT and further abolished by Ato. The present results suggest that mPFC and DHC play differential roles in restraint stress-priming CPP reinstatement induced by MAP and OT via OT receptor affects the reinstatement in which the glutamatergic system is involved.

Oxytocin regulates changes of extracellular glutamate and GABA levels induced by methamphetamine in the mouse brain.

Oxytocin (OT), a neurohypophyseal neuropeptide, affects adaptive processes of the central nervous system. In the present study, we investigated the effects of OT on extracellular levels of glutamate (Glu) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) induced by methamphetamine (MAP) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and dorsal hippocampus (DHC) of freely moving mice, using in vivo microdialysis coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. The results showed that OT had no effect on basal Glu levels, but attenuated MAP-induced Glu increase in the mPFC and decrease in the DHC. OT increased the basal levels of extracellular GABA in mPFC and DHC of mice, and inhibited the MAP-induced GABA decrease in DHC. Western blot results indicated that OT significantly inhibited the increased glutamatergic receptor (NR1 subunit) levels in the PFC after acute MAP administration, whereas OT further enhanced the elevated levels of glutamatergic transporter (GLT1) induced by MAP in the hippocampus of mice. Atosiban, a selective inhibitor of OT receptor, antagonized the effects of OT. The results provided the first neurochemical evidence that OT, which exerted its action via its receptor, decreased Glu release induced by MAP, and attenuated the changes in glutamatergic neurotransmission partially via regulation of NR1 and GLT1 expression. OT-induced extracellular GABA increase also suggests that OT acts potentially as an inhibitory neuromodulator in mPFC and DHC of mice.

Inhibitory role of oxytocin in psychostimulant-induced psychological dependence and its effects on dopaminergic and glutaminergic transmission.

Psychostimulants are frequently abused as a result of their stimulatory effects on several neurotransmitter systems within the central nervous system. Both dopaminergic and glutaminergic neurotransmissions have been closely associated with psychostimulant dependence. In addition to its classical endocrine function in the periphery, oxytocin, an important neurohypophyseal neuropeptide in the central nervous system, has a wide range of behavioral effects, including regulating drug abuse. The present paper reviews the progress of research into the role of oxytocin in reducing psychostimulant-induced psychological dependence and the mechanisms by which oxytocin mediates its effects.

Accumulation and distribution of arsenic and cadmium by tea plants.

It is important to research the rules about accumulation and distribution of arsenic and cadmium by tea plants, which will give us some scientific ideas about how to control the contents of arsenic and cadmium in tea. In this study, by field investigation and pot trial, we found that mobility of arsenic and cadmium in tea plants was low. Most arsenic and cadmium absorbed were fixed in feeding roots and only small amount was transported to the above-ground parts. Distribution of arsenic and cadmium, based on their concentrations of unit dry matter, in tea plants grown on un-contaminated soil was in the order: feeding roots>stems approximately main roots>old leaves>young leaves. When tea plants were grown on polluted soils simulated by adding salts of these two metals, feeding roots possibly acted as a buffer and defense, and arsenic and cadmium were transported less to the above-ground parts. The concentration of cadmium in soil significantly and negatively correlated with chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and biomass production of tea plants.

Effect of liming and seasonal variation on lead concentration of tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze).

Tea is a widely consumed beverage. However, recent studies revealed that there were an increasing number of cases of tea products exceeding the former maximum permissible concentration (MPC) in China for Pb (2 mg kg(-1)). Tea Pb contamination is an issue affecting trade and consumer confidence. Root uptake of Pb could contribute significantly to Pb accumulation in tea leaves due to the strong acidity of many tea garden soils. We conducted pot and field experiments to evaluate the effect of liming on Pb uptake by tea plants on two highly acidic soils (pH3.6). Additions of CaCO(3) significantly increased soil pH by up to 1 unit and decreased soil extractable Pb by up to 32%. Liming resulted in a decrease in the proportion of Pb in the exchangeable and carbonate-bound fractions, with a concurrent increase in the fractions bound to Fe/Mn oxides and residues. Liming significantly decreased Pb concentrations of fine roots, stems and new shoots of tea plants in the pot experiment. In the field experiments, the effect of liming was not significant during the first year following CaCO(3) application, but became significant during the second and third years and Pb concentration in the new shoots was decreased by approximately 20-50%, indicating that liming of acidic tea garden soils is an effective way to reduce Pb contamination of tea. The study also reveals a distinct seasonal variation, with Pb concentration in the new shoots following the order of spring>autumn>summer.