[Developmental anatomy of anomalous structure and investigation of medicinal parts Sophora flavescens].

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the composition structure of "annual rings" and the formation process of anomalous structures in Sophora flavescens, and further discuss the medicinal parts of S. flavescens. METHOD: Based on investigation on S. flavescens in its producing areas, the morphology of root systems was observed, and the developmental anatomy of roots was researched. RESULT: Creeping underground rhizomes of S. flavescen existed in some parts of the north place, there were many differences in appearance characters and microscopic features between these roots and rhizomes. Parenchyma cells in secondary xylem regained meristematic ability, became into anomalous cambia, and then developed into anomalous structures. "Annual rings" in transverse section of S. flavescens were not actually growth rings, they were made up of anomalous parenchyma girdle in secondary xylem and normal secondary structure. CONCLUSION: Roots are the medicinal parts of S. flavescens. This paper suggests that "annual rings" in the decoction pieces of S. flavescens should be called "annular structure".

Using the pollen viability and morphology for fluoride pollution biomonitoring.

The methods using plants for biomonitoring of air and soil quality are simple, cheap, and fast and can supplement the classical physicochemical methods. In this study, biological pollen characterization of some collected legume species from an aluminum smelter area in Iran (IRALCO) was carried out to determine the actual value of pollen as a bioindicator of the effects of soil and atmospheric pollution. Young buds and flowers of six legumes (Cercis siliquastrum L., Medicago sativa L., Robinia pseudoacacia L., Melilotus officinalis (L.) lam, Trifolium repens L., and Sophora alopecuroides L.) in polluted and control plants were removed and compared. Studies of light and electron microscopic preparation showed some abnormalities during pollen development in affect of fluoride pollution. The viability of pollen grains estimated by staining with acetocarmine shows sharp differences in smearing advanced pollen grains from abnormal ones. Except M. officinalis, the pollen grains of C. siliquastrum, M. sativa, R. pseudoacacia, T. repens, and S. alopecuroides in polluted areas showed light, partial, or no staining with acetocarmine, whereas almost all of the control ones clearly stained. Observation of the pollen grains by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed the significant effect of fluoride on shapes and sizes of pollen grains. The stimulation and inhibition of these pollen characteristics depend on the pollen species as well as on the pollutant and its concentration. Therefore, pollen grains provide essential information on biological impact of pollutants and they are good candidates for biomonitoring the atmospheric and edaphic pollutions.

Prenylation of flavonoids by biotransformation of yeast expressing plant membrane-bound prenyltransferase SfN8DT-1.

Prenylated flavonoids are natural products that exhibit diverse biological effects and often represent the active components of various medicinal plants. This study demonstrated the production of prenylated naringenin by biotransformation using transgenic yeast expressing naringenin 8-dimethylallyltransferase, a membrane-bound enzyme, without feeding of prenyl donors. This method provides the possibility of generating prenylated flavonoids that occur rarely in nature.

Synergistic action between jasmonic acid and nitric oxide in inducing matrine accumulation of Sophora flavescens suspension cells.

Secondary metabolites not only play important ecological roles in plants but also are important pharmaceutical and source compounds for derivative synthesis. Production of plant secondary metabolites is believed to be controlled by the endogenous signal network of plants. However, the molecular basis is still largely unknown. Here we show that matrine production of Sophora flavescens Ait. cells treated with low levels of jasmonic acid (JA) and nitric oxide (NO) is significantly increased although treatment with low concentrations of JA or NO alone has no effects on matrine production, showing that JA and NO may act synergistically in triggering matrine production. Moreover, treatment with NO triggers lipoxygenase (LOX) activity and enhances JA levels of the cells, showing that NO may activate the endogenous JA biosynthesis of S. flavescens cells. External application of JA induces nitric oxide synthase-like activities and stimulates NO generation of S. flavescens cells, which suggests that JA may trigger NO generation of the cells. Thus, the results reveal a mutually amplifying reaction between JA and NO in S. flavescens cells. Furthermore, JA and NO inhibitors suppress not only the mutually amplifying reaction between JA and NO but also the synergistic effects of NO and JA on matrine production. Therefore, the data demonstrate that the synergistic action of JA and NO in inducing matrine production might be due to the mutually amplifying reaction between JA and NO in the cells.

[Study on pharmacognosy of Sophora davidii].

The primary microscopic observation of several parts of Sophora davidii (Franch.) Pav. such as crude drug, fabric, powder characteristic was carried out, and the microstructure and powder characteristic pictures was drawn, in order to provide scientific references for its further research and comprehensive exploration of the resource.

Efficient production and capture of 8-prenylnaringenin and leachianone G-biosynthetic intermediates of sophoraflavanone G--by the addition of cork tissue to cell suspension cultures of Sophora flavescens.

It has previously been demonstrated that the addition of cork tissue to cell suspension cultures of Sophora flavescens stimulates the production of sophoraflavanone G, most of which has been recovered from the added cork tissue. In the present study, it was found that two precursors of sophoraflavanone G, 8-prenylnaringenin (sophoraflavanone B) and leachianone G, both of which have never been detected either in cultured cells or in the original plants, also accumulated in the added cork tissue. Thirteen minor flavonoids including three prenylated flavonoids, in addition to 8-prenylnaringenin and leachianone G, were isolated from the cork tissue co-incubated with S. flavescens cells. The new compounds flavescenones A, B and C, were determined to be (3R)-5, 7, 2'-trihydroxy-6-gamma, gamma-dimethylallyl-4', 5'-methylenedioxyisoflavanone; 5, 7, 2'-trihydroxy-6-gamma, gamma-dimethylallyl-4', 5'-methylenedioxyisoflavone and 2-[2',4'-dihydroxy-3'-(gamma-hydroxymethyl-gamma-methylallyl)phenyl]-5,6-methylenedioxybenzofuran, respectively, by means of spectroscopic analyses that included 2D-NMR techniques.

Origin of two isoprenoid units in a lavandulyl moiety of sophoraflavanone G from Sophora flavescens cultured cells.

Cell suspension cultures of Sophora flavescens produced large amounts of sophoraflavanone G, an 8-lavandulylated flavanone and lupalbigenin, a 6,3'-di-dimethylallylated isoflavone, by the simultaneous addition of cork tissues and methyl jasmonate. The labeling pattern of the isoprene units resulting after administration of [1-13C] glucose into the cell cultures in the presence of the above additives revealed that two isoprene units in the lavandulyl group of sophoraflavanone G and two dimethylallyl groups of lupalbigenin were biosynthesized via the 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate pathway.

[A preliminary study on preparing chromosome of young cotyledon from Sophora flavescens].

The present paper reports the experimental results on the preparing somatic chromosome of young cotyledon from Sophora flavescens, compared with root tip, the mitotic index of cells in cotyledon is higher, hydrolyze with enzyme and wall degradation are easely made, as the experimental material, the young cotyledon is more comeniently prepared.