Effects of supplemental dried wild leek (Allium scorodoprasum L. subsp. rotundum) leaves on laying performance, egg quality characteristics, and oxidative stability in laying hens.

This study aimed to examine the effect of dietary supplementation of dried wild leek (Allium scorodoprasum L. subsp. rotundum) leaves on laying performance, egg traits, antioxidant status, and oxidative stability in laying hens. For this purpose, a total of 96 Lohmann White laying hens aged 22 weeks allocated into four treatment groups each containing 24 hens. Hens were fed a diet supplemented with 0 (control), 1 (WL1), 2 (WL2), and 3 (WL3) g/kg dried wild leek (DWL) leaves. During the 10-week trial, egg weight was increased and feed efficiency was improved with 2 and 3 g/kg DWL leaves. No significant differences were observed among groups for egg production, feed intake, internal and external egg quality characteristics, and egg yolk cholesterol concentration. Levels of malondialdehyde and total antioxidant-oxidant status of egg yolk were not affected from DWL supplementation. However, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity was increased and oxidative stress index was decreased in egg yolk. Superoxide dismutase enzyme activity was increased in the group of WL3, and total antioxidant status levels were increased in the groups of WL2 and WL3 in serum. DWL supplementation reduced serum cholesterol concentration significantly. No marked changes were observed in other blood parameters. In conclusion, DWL is considered to be high antioxidant supplement due to having high antioxidant capacity and important bioactive compounds. Dietary supplementation of DWL leaves at 3 g/kg could be a viable and beneficial feed additive to improve egg weight and feed efficiency, increase DPPH radical scavenging activity in egg yolk and antioxidant status of hen. Therefore, the usage of DWL leaves in the laying hen diets will be beneficial for egg producers and poultry nutritionists to produce functional eggs having low cholesterol and high antioxidants.

Leaf cuticular waxes of wild-type Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) and a wax-deficient mutant: Compounds with terminal and mid-chain functionalities.

Plant cuticles cover aerial organs to limit non-stomatal water loss and protect against insects and pathogens. Cuticles contain complex mixtures of fatty acid-derived waxes, with various chain lengths and diverse functional groups. To further our understanding of the chemical diversity and biosynthesis of these compounds, this study investigated leaf cuticular waxes of Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) wild type and a wax-deficient mutant. Leaf waxes were extracted with chloroform, separated using thin layer chromatography (TLC), and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The extracts contained typical wax compound classes found in nearly all plant lineages but also two uncommon compound classes. Analyses of characteristic MS fragmentation patterns followed by comparisons with synthetic standards identified the latter as very-long-chain ketones and primary ketols. The ketols were minor compounds, with chain lengths ranging from C28 to C32 and carbonyls mainly on C-18 and C-20 in wild type wax, and a C28 chain with C-16 carbonyl in the mutant. The ketones made up 70% of total wax in the wild type, consisting mainly of C31 isomers with carbonyl group on C-14 or C-16. In contrast, the mutant wax comprised only 4% ketones, with chain lengths C27 and C29 and carbonyls predominantly on C-12 and C-14, respectively. A two-carbon homolog shift between wild type and mutant was also observed in the primary alcohols (a major wax compound class), whilst alkanes exhibited a four-carbon shift. Overall, the compositional data shed light on possible biosynthetic pathways to wax ketones that can be tested in future studies.

Protective effects of Allium hirtifolium extract against foodborne toxicity of Zinc oxide nanoparticles in Common carp (Cyprinus carpio).

The use of nano-sized materials is increasingly growing, while consequent health and environmental risks are still disputed. On the other hand, plant extracts have been reported to improve fish general health status and enhance antioxidant capacity. Thus, the present study was aimed to assess potential effects of Allium hirtifolium extract (AHE) to fortify antioxidant responses of Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to foodborne Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs). Five hundred and forty fish were randomly allocated into 18 tanks and received six diets including a basal diet (as control), basal diet incorporated with either 13 mg/kg (ZnO-25) or 26 mg/kg (ZnO-50) of ZnO-NPs, 1.5% AHE (AHE-1.5), and similar concentrations of ZnO-NPs plus AHE (ZnO-25-AHE) and (ZnO-50-AHE) for a period of 30 days. Results revealed that blood indices, stress biomarkers (glucose and cortisol), and antioxidant parameters and genes in AHE-1.5 group were significantly modulated and improved when compared to other groups (P < 0.05). In AHE-enriched groups, serum and liver tissue antioxidative parameters were enhanced as reflected in a noticeable decrease in malondialdehyde value and an increase in catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase. However, current results showed that diets incorporated with ZnO-NPs elevated the stress parameters besides a significant reduction for most measured biochemical parameters and AHE supplementation ameliorated these effects in terms of improving antioxidant parameters. In ZnO-25-AHE, and ZnO-50-AHE, the values for expression of GPx were found significantly (P < 0.05) different from that of ZnO-25 and ZnO-50. On the contrary, SOD showed a non-significant difference (P > 0.05) among control, ZnO-25, and ZnO-50-AHE, also in-between ZnO-25 and ZnO-25-AHE. The present results indicate that AHE supplementation could trigger antioxidant responses both at tissue and molecular levels suggesting its outstanding protective effects against foodborne toxicity of ZnO-NPs in Common carp.

Chemical constituents and medicinal properties of Allium species.

Allium species, belonging to Alliaceae family, are among the oldest cultivated vegetables used as food. Garlic, onions, leeks and chives, which belong to this family, have been reported to have medicinal properties. The Allium species constituents have been shown to have antibacterial and antioxidant activities, and, in addition, other biological properties. These activities are related to their rich organosulfur compounds. These organosulfur compounds are believed to prevent the development of cancer, cardiovascular, neurological, diabetes, liver diseases as well as allergy and arthritis. There have also been reports on toxicities of these compounds. The major active compounds of Allium species includes, diallyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide, diallyl sulfide, dipropyl disulfide, dipropyl trisulfide, 1-propenylpropyl disulfide, allyl methyl disulfide and dimethyl disulfide. The aim of this review is to focus on a variety of experimental and clinical reports on the effectiveness, toxicities and possible mechanisms of actions of the active compounds of garlic, onions, leek and chives.

A Detailed Chemical and Biological Investigation of Twelve Allium Species from Eastern Anatolia with Chemometric Studies.

Allium species are widely consumed as food all over the world. The phenolic profile of ethanol extracts of aerial parts and roots of 12 Allium species, collected from five different Eastern Anatolia regions, were studied using LC-MS/MS. In vitro antioxidant, anticholinesterase, cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities were also tested. The multivariate analyses were performed using principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses. Seventeen of 27 standard compounds were detected in all Allium species. The major components were mainly identified as quinic acid, malic acid, vanillin, and p-coumaric acid. The aerial parts possessed better antioxidant activity than roots. Aerial parts of A. atroviolaceum, A. chrysantherum, A. kharputense, and A. shirnakiense exhibited high cytotoxic activity against DLD-1 colon cancer cell lines (IC50 12.5 µg/mL). A. shatakiense and A. vineale demonstrated good antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and E. coli (MIC 75 µg/mL). According to chemometric analysis, differences were detected between aerial parts and the roots. The aerial parts of A. atroviolaceum, A. chrysantherum, A. kharputense, and A. shirnakiense could be potent in the pharmaceutical industry while A. shatakiense and A. vineale in the food industry after further investigations.

Comparative phytochemical profile of the elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum var. holmense) and the common garlic (Allium sativum) from the Val di Chiana area (Tuscany, Italy) before and after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion.

This study is aimed to comparatively investigate the phytochemical profiles, focusing on the nutritional and phytochemical properties of common garlic (Allium sativum L.; CG) and elephant garlic (EG) (Allium ampeloprasum var. holmense) collected from the Val di Chiana area (Tuscany, Italy). The results showed a lower amount of fibers, demonstrating a higher digestibility of the bulb, and sulfur-containing compounds in EG rather than in CG. Untargeted metabolomic profiling followed by supervised and unsupervised statistics allowed understanding the differences in phytochemical composition among the two bulbs, both as raw bulbs, processed following the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion process. Typical sulfur-containing compounds, such as alliin and N-gamma-glutamyl-S-allyl cysteine, could notably be detected in lower amounts in EG. EG maintains a distinct phytochemical signature during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Our findings support the distinct sensorial attributes of the bulbs.

Nutritive value and ruminal degradation of seven Chinese herbs as forage for Tan sheep.

Tan sheep is an indigenous ovine breed of China known for its high meat quality and pleasing taste. Seven herbs of traditional Chinese medicine, namely, Ephedra sinica, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Caragana korshinskii, Allium mongolicum, Thymus vulgaris, Astragalus membranaceus, and Lespedeza bicolor are commonly grazed by Tan sheep. It has been widely believed that these herbs are of high nutritive value, which may significantly contribute to the high meat quality and distinct flavor of Tan sheep. However, the nutritive values of these herbs have not been evaluated to date. In this study, samples of the seven herbs were collected from the steppe of Yanchi County of Ningxia Autonomous Region of China. The dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), ash (Ash), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) of these herbs were measured using locally cultivated alfalfa as the standard forage. Digestion of the dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and crude protein in the rumen of Tan sheep was examined using the nylon bag method, in order to evaluate their feeding nutritional value. Our results show that all the seven herbs meet the nutritional needs of ruminants based on the standard forage alfalfa. However, Ephedra, Glycyrrhiza, Caragana, Allium, Astragalus, and Lespedeza have higher nutritive value than Thymus (P < 0.05). According to the ruminal degradation rates of dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and crude protein, the nutritive value of Caragana, Allium, and Lespedeza is higher than that of Ephedra, Glycyrrhiza, Astragalus, and Thymus (P < 0.05). The overall nutritive value of Allium is the highest among the seven herbs and therefore Allium is recommended to better meet the nutritional needs of Tan sheep.

Raw garlic consumption is inversely associated with prehypertension in a large-scale adult population.

Previous studies have shown that allicin can lower blood pressure (BP) by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. However, the association between habitual raw garlic intake (as allicin source) and prehypertension are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate how raw garlic consumption is associated with prehypertension in an adult population. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 22,812 adults (mean [standard deviation] age: 39.4 [10.7] years; males, 47.7%) in Tianjin, China. Raw garlic consumption was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. BP was measured at least twice by trained nurses using an automatic device. Prehypertension was defined as systolic BP of 120-139 mmHg and/or diastolic BP of 80-89 mmHg without taking antihypertensive medication. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the association between raw garlic consumption and prehypertension. The prevalence of prehypertension was 49.9%. After fully adjusting for potential confounders, the ORs (95% confidence intervals) of having prehypertension by increasing frequency of raw garlic consumption were 1.00 (reference) for ≤3 times/week, 0.96 (0.87, 1.06) for 4 times/week to 1 time/day, and 0.69 (0.52, 0.90) for ≥2 times/day (p for trend = 0.06). In contrast, no associations were observed between other kinds of allium vegetables consumption and prehypertension. In conclusion, our results suggested that a more frequent consumption of raw garlic was inversely associated with prehypertension. This is the first large-scale study on the association between raw garlic consumption and prehypertension in the general population.

Effects of dietary Allium mongolicum Regel polysaccharide on growth, lipopolysaccharide-induced antioxidant responses and immune responses in Channa argus.

The present study evaluated the effects of dietary Allium mongolicum Regel polysaccharide (AMRP) on growth, lipopolysaccharide-induced antioxidant responses and immune responses in Channa argus. A basal diet was supplemented with AMRP at 0, 1, 1.5 or 2 g/kg feed for 56 days. After the 56 days feeding period, weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were significantly increased or decreased (P < 0.05) by dietary AMRP, with the highest WG, SGR and the minimum FCR occurring in 1.5 g/kg AMRP group. Furthermore, AMRP supplementation conferred significant protective effects against LPS challenge by preventing alterations in the levels of complements 3 (C3) and complements 4 (C4), lysozyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) while regulating the expression of immune-related genes including heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), SOD, GST, IL-1 and TNF-α. Finally, AMRP supplementation significantly increased serum total protein, albumin and globulin concentrations and reduced mortality after LPS challenge. Taken together, our results suggest that the administration of AMRP could attenuate LPS-induced negative effects in C. argus, with 1.5 g/kg considered a suitable dose.

Anti-inflammatory effect of Allium hookeri on carrageenan-induced air pouch mouse model.

Inflammation is a commonly observed immune reaction, and rheumatoid arthritis is a particularly severe inflammatory disease. In this study, we used an air pouch mouse model to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of Allium hookeri, which has both been used as a culinary material and a traditional medicine in south-eastern Asia for many years. Allium hookeri suppressed typical symptoms of inflammation, such as condensation of the air pouch membrane, and inhibited the expression of several inducible proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-13, and TNF-α. In order to determine the molecules modulating the inflammatory effect of carrageenan treatment, the components in Allium hookeri were analyzed by GC-MS, and linoleic acid, which have anti-inflammatory effect, was detected. From the results, we concluded that the anti-inflammatory effect of Allium hookeri might be attributed to linoleic acid, which could be promising candidates for anti-inflammatory drugs that have no adverse effects.

Unbiased profiling of volatile organic compounds in the headspace of Allium plants using an in-tube extraction device.

BACKGROUND: Plants produce and emit important volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have an essential role in biotic and abiotic stress responses and in plant-plant and plant-insect interactions. In order to study the bouquets from plants qualitatively and quantitatively, a comprehensive, analytical method yielding reproducible results is required. RESULTS: We applied in-tube extraction (ITEX) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) for studying the emissions of Allium plants. The collected HS samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS), and the results were subjected to multivariate analysis. In case of ITEX-method Allium cultivars released more than 300 VOCs, out of which we provisionally identified 50 volatiles. We also used the VOC profiles of Allium samples to discriminate among groups of A. fistulosum, A. chinense (rakkyo), and A. tuberosum (Oriental garlic). As we found 12 metabolite peaks including dipropyl disulphide with significant changes in A. chinense and A. tuberosum when compared to the control cultivar, these metabolite peaks can be used for chemotaxonomic classification of A. chinense, tuberosum, and A. fistulosum. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to SPME-method our ITEX-based VOC profiling technique contributes to automatic and reproducible analyses. Hence, it can be applied to high-throughput analyses such as metabolite profiling.

Intra- and intertissular cytomictic interactions in mic-rosporogenesis of mono- and dicotyledonous plants.

A comparative cytological analysis of intra- and intertissular cytomictic interactions in early micro-sporogenesis of mono- and dicotyledonous plants was performed by the example of the two cellular systems - microsporocytes and tapetum. It is found that cytomixis is the component of intratissular interactions mainly. In the tapetum cells cytomixis is notable for structural and temporary taxon specific features. The nuclear migration in microsporocytes is confined mainly to zygotene-pachytene meiotic stages and characterized by a certain synchronism with cytomixis at the tapetum. Intertissular cytomictic interactions (tapetum - microsporocytes) were found in the monocot anthers only. Intertissular interactions are likely to reflect the intensification of competitive relations between the tapetum and microsporocytes for area in the process of anther tissue differentiation. Polyploid tapetum nucleus and syncytia being powerful acceptors are able to compete with microsporocytes and direct the chromatin translocation to their favor. The absence of intertissular interactions in dicots probably reflects a better balance between the processes of differentiation at somatic and generative tissues into microsporangium compared to monocots.

Molecular characterization of ongoing enzymatic reactions in raw garlic cloves using extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Characterization of enzymatic reactions occurring in untreated biological samples is of increasing interest. Herein, the chemical conversion of alliin to allicin, catalyzed by allinase, in raw garlic cloves has been followed in vivo by internal extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (iEESI-MS). Both precursors and products of the enzymatic reaction were instantaneously extracted by infused solution running throughout the tissue and directly electrospray ionized on the edge of the bulk sample for online MS analysis. Compared to the room-temperature (+25 °C) scenario, the alliin conversion in garlic cloves decreased by (7.2 ± 1.4) times upon heating to +80 °C and by (5.9 ± 0.8) times upon cooling to -16 °C. Exposure of garlic to gentle ultrasound irradiation for 3 h accelerated the reaction by (1.2 ± 0.1) times. A 10 s microwave irradiation promoted alliin conversion by (1.6 ± 0.4) times, but longer exposure to microwave irradiation (90 s) slowed the reaction by (28.5 ± 7.5) times compared to the reference analysis. This method has been further employed to monitor the germination process of garlic. These data revealed that over a 2 day garlic sprouting, the allicin/alliin ratio increased by (2.2 ± 0.5) times, and the averaged degree of polymerization for the detected oligosaccharides/polysaccharides decreased from 11.6 to 9.4. Overall, these findings suggest the potential use of iEESI-MS for in vivo studies of enzymatic reactions in native biological matrices.

Allium vegetables and garlic supplements do not reduce risk of colorectal cancer, based on meta-analysis of prospective studies.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Laboratory studies have provided evidence that allium vegetables and garlic supplements might protect against colorectal cancer (CRC), but epidemiologic studies have produced inconsistent findings. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis of prospective studies evaluating the associations between allium vegetables, garlic supplements, and CRC risk. We pooled effect measures using fixed- or random-effect models, assessing the highest vs the lowest intakes. We used a dose-response regression model to evaluate the relationship between allium vegetable intake and CRC risk. RESULTS: Our analysis included 8 studies with 20 reports of the effects of allium vegetables (5458 patients with CRC including 7,125,067 person-years) and 5 studies with 11 reports of the effects of garlic supplements (2685 patients with CRC including 2,304,439 person-years). We found no association between higher intake of allium vegetables and CRC risk (relative risk [RR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96-1.17; P = .26). Intake of allium vegetables did not correspond to CRC risk (P for nonlinear = .24, P for linear = .20). In subgroup analysis, a higher consumption of allium vegetables was associated marginally with increased risk of colon cancer among women (RR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.01-1.50; P = .05). Use of garlic supplements was associated significantly with an increased risk of CRC (RR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.02-1.36; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: In a meta-analysis, we found no evidence that higher intake of allium vegetables reduced the risk for CRC. We observed that garlic supplements increased the risk for CRC, but this finding requires external validation.

Metabonomic analysis of Allium macrostemon Bunge as a treatment for acute myocardial ischemia in rats.

Myocardial ischemia (MI) refers to a pathological state of the heart caused by reduced cardiac blood perfusion, which leads to a decreased oxygen supply in the heart and an abnormal myocardial energy metabolism. Acute myocardial ischemia (AMI) has posed a significant health risk for humans. Allium macrostemon Bunge (AMB), a popular traditional Chinese medicine, is used for MI treatment. The therapeutic effects of AMB were assessed and the detailed mechanisms of AMB for AMI treatment were investigated. We characterized the metabonomic variations in rats from the sham surgery, AMI, and AMB-pretreated AMI groups through a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and multivariate statistical analysis. Thirty-five metabolites including carbohydrates, a range of amino acids, and organic acids were detected. The (1)H NMR spectra of the rat serum were analyzed using the principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminate analysis (OPLS-DA). Results showed that AMI induced some physiological changes in rats and also led to metabolic disorders related to glycolysis promotion, amino acid metabolism disruption, and other metabolite metabolism perturbation. AMB pretreatment reduced the AMI injury and maintained metabolic balance, possibly by limiting the change in energy metabolism and regulating amino acid metabolism. These findings provide a comprehensive insight on the metabolic response of AMI rats to AMB pretreatment and are important for the use of AMB for AMI therapy.

Dietary administration of scallion extract effectively inhibits colorectal tumor growth: cellular and molecular mechanisms in mice.

Colorectal cancer is a common malignancy and a leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Diet is known to play an important role in the etiology of colon cancer and dietary chemoprevention is receiving increasing attention for prevention and/or alternative treatment of colon cancers. Allium fistulosum L., commonly known as scallion, is popularly used as a spice or vegetable worldwide, and as a traditional medicine in Asian cultures for treating a variety of diseases. In this study we evaluated the possible beneficial effects of dietary scallion on chemoprevention of colon cancer using a mouse model of colon carcinoma (CT-26 cells subcutaneously inoculated into BALB/c mice). Tumor lysates were subjected to western blotting for analysis of key inflammatory markers, ELISA for analysis of cytokines, and immunohistochemistry for analysis of inflammatory markers. Metabolite profiles of scallion extracts were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Scallion extracts, particularly hot-water extract, orally fed to mice at 50 mg (dry weight)/kg body weight resulted in significant suppression of tumor growth and enhanced the survival rate of test mice. At the molecular level, scallion extracts inhibited the key inflammatory markers COX-2 and iNOS, and suppressed the expression of various cellular markers known to be involved in tumor apoptosis (apoptosis index), proliferation (cyclin D1 and c-Myc), angiogenesis (VEGF and HIF-1α), and tumor invasion (MMP-9 and ICAM-1) when compared with vehicle control-treated mice. Our findings may warrant further investigation of the use of common scallion as a chemopreventive dietary agent to lower the risk of colon cancer.

Exploring the structural basis for selenium/mercury antagonism in Allium fistulosum.

While continuing efforts are devoted to studying the mutually protective effect of mercury and selenium in mammals, few studies have investigated the mercury-selenium antagonism in plants. In this study, we report the metabolic fate of mercury and selenium in Allium fistulosum (green onion) after supplementation with sodium selenite and mercuric chloride. Analysis of homogenized root extracts via capillary reversed phase chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (capRPLC-ICP-MS) suggests the formation of a mercury-selenium containing compound. Micro-focused synchrotron X-ray fluorescence mapping of freshly excised roots show Hg sequestered on the root surface and outlining individual root cells, while Se is more evenly distributed throughout the root. There are also discrete Hg-only, Se-only regions and an overall strong correlation between Hg and Se throughout the root. Analysis of the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra show a "background" of methylselenocysteine within the root with discrete spots of SeO(3)(2-), Se(0) and solid HgSe on the root surface. Mercury outlining individual root cells is possibly binding to sulfhydryl groups or plasma membrane or cell wall proteins, and in some places reacting with reduced selenium in the rhizosphere to form a mercury(ii) selenide species. Together with the formation of the root-bound mercury(ii) selenide species, we also report on the formation of cinnabar (HgS) and Hg(0) in the rhizosphere. The results presented herein shed light on the intricate chemical and biological processes occurring within the rhizosphere that influence Hg and Se bioavailability and will be instrumental in predicting the fate and assisting in the remediation of these metals in the environment and informing whether or not fruit and vegetable food selection from aerial plant compartments or roots from plants grown in Hg contaminated soils, are safe for consumption.

Therapeutic applications of organosulfur compounds as novel hydrogen sulfide donors and/or mediators.

Hydrogen sulfide, once considered as toxic gas, is now recognized as an important biological mediator. The deficiency of hydrogen sulfide could lead to various pathological changes, such as arterial and pulmonary hypertension, Alzheimer's disease, gastric mucosal injury and liver cirrhosis. However, excessive production of hydrogen sulfide, by using inorganic hydrogen sulfide donors such as NaHS, may contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, septic shock, cerebral stroke and mental retardation in patients with Down syndrome. Therefore, an increasing interest in organic molecules that are capable of regulating the formation of hydrogen sulfide has extended in recent years. Allium vegetables are one natural source of organic sulfur-containing compounds and have been widely investigated regarding their therapeutic applications, and it has been proven that the ingredients of garlic, such as diallyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide and S-ally cysteine act as hydrogen sulfide donors or mediators in pharmaceutical studies. In addition, S-propargyl cysteine (ZYZ-802) and S-propyl cysteine, two synthetic cysteine analogs, have been examined and could be used to treat ischemic heart disease via modulation of the hydrogen sulfide pathway. In addition, drugs containing hydrogen sulfide-releasing moieties have been synthesized and widely reported in recent years, such as S-nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the derivative of Lawesson's reagents, which exhibit varied biological effects in experiments. As cystathionine ß-synthase and cystathionine γ-lyase are the enzymes that are able to catalyze the production of endogenous hydrogen sulfide from cysteine, their inhibitors, such as dl-propylargylglycine and ß-cyanoalanine, have been frequently used in studies on the biological mechanism of hydrogen sulfide. All these hydrogen sulfide donors, mediators and inhibitors have provided useful tools in the research of a variety of biological effects and are promising drug candidates of hydrogen sulfide.

Variations between diploids and tetraploids of Allium przewalskianum, an important vegetable and/or condiment in the Himalayas.

Allium przewalskianum, a wild onion species growing at altitudes ranging from 1800 to 4500 m, has long been commonly used as an important vegetable and/or condiment by Tibetans, Indians, and Nepalese in the highlands of the Himalayas and adjacent regions. This species comprises both diploids and tetraploids. In this study, we examined the nutritional content and biomass accumulation profiles of two cytotypes, collected from 29 sites, with different altitudinal origins but cultivated in a common garden. On an average, this species has superior qualities in the minerals and amino acids compared to other edible congeners. When compared with the diploids, the tetraploids grew faster and accumulated more biomass; in addition, the tetraploids had higher values of moisture and energy, higher contents of cystine and phosphorus, but lower fiber levels. Moreover, the tetraploids from the higher altitudes had greater biomasses than the other tetraploids, in addition to having increased levels of proteins, fats, and the minerals Mg, Fe, Mn, and Cu. These results illustrate the large variations in nutritional efficacy and growth within this single morphological species, and provide critical information for its effective consumption in the future.

Diet and thrombosis risk: nutrients for prevention of thrombotic disease.

An increased prothrombotic state is a major risk factor for the development of heart attacks, strokes, and venous thromboembolism. Platelet activation and aggregation play an important role in determining a prothrombotic state. Although pharmaceutical agents such as aspirin, heparin, and warfarin are able to reduce prothrombotic tendency, long-term drug treatment may produce a variety of side effects, including bleeding. Diet is generally recognized to be significantly involved in modifying the individual risk for the development of thrombotic diseases, although its influence during the treatment of these disorders is probably less important. Dietary intervention has proven effective in lowering serum lipid levels, which are otherwise essential elements in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Likewise, certain dietary components have also been proven effective in decreasing platelet activation through various mechanisms and therefore may contribute to attenuating the future risk of thrombosis. This article provides an up-to-date review of the role of nutrient and nonnutrient supplements on platelet aggregation and risk of thrombosis.