Genetic variability and diversity of the main resources of lily assessed via phenotypic characters, pollen morphology, and ISSR markers.

Lily (Lilium spp), which belongs to Lilium, is one kind of monocotyledon. As a perennial ornamental plant with extremely high esthetic, edible, and medicinal value, lily has gained much favor due to its mostly showy flowers of various colors and elegant shape. In this research, we studied experimental materials in a sample of 49 individuals including 40 cultivars, nine species of wild lily, and their variants. The collection of 40 cultivars covered all six hybrids in the genus, i.e., Asiatic hybrids, Oriental hybrids, Longiflorum hybrids, LA hybrids, LO hybrids, and OT hybrids. Genetic diversity and inter-relationships were assessed through analysis of phenotypic characteristics, pollen morphology, and ISSR molecular markers. Quantitative characters were selected to analyze phenotypic variation, with results indicating greater variability in petiole length as compared to other characters. Pollen morphological observations suggested that the largest variation coefficient between all hybrids and wild species was the lumina. ISSR makers demonstrated that both cultivars and wild species possess a high level of genetic diversity. Specifically, the genetic diversity of wild lily was higher than cultivars.

[Effect of the Chinese Herbal Medicinal Ingredients in Huoxiang Zhengqi Liquid on Alcohol Metabolism in Rats].

OBJECTIVES: To study the changes of alcohol content and pharmacokinetic parameter in rats after taking Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid. METHODS: The rats were randomly divided into three groups and given with white alcohol at the dose of 3.0 mL/kg, low-dose and high-dose Chinese medicine liquor, respectively. The blood was collected before administration and 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, 3 h, 4 h, 5 h, 6 h and 8 h after administration by cutting rats' tails. The concentrations of alcohol in blood were detected by headspace-gas chromatography method. The main pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by DAS 2.0, and then analyzed by SPSS 17.0. RESULTS: The difference of maximum blood concentrations between high-dose Chinese medicine alcohol group and white alcohol group was statistically significant （P<0.05）. There was no significant difference in other pharmacokinetic parameters among three groups （P>0.05）. CONCLUSIONS: The Chinese herbal medicinal ingredients in the Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid has no effect on the metabolism and elimination of ethanol in rats. The research provides useful reference for the qualitative assessment and processing of traffic accident cases involved in Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid and the studies related to drug-interaction.

Influence of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract in broiler chickens: effect on chicken coccidiosis and antioxidant status.

Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) has been widely used as a human food supplement for health promotion and disease prevention. However, there was little information regarding its application in animal nutrition. The aim of the current study is to determine the effect of GSPE at different concentrations on chicken performance, and the status of antioxidant/oxidant system after the Eimeria tenella infection. In the first experiment, GSPE incorporated in the diet at 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg significantly decreased mortality and increased weight gain after the E. tenella infection, and the protective effect of GSPE was dose-dependent. The lowest mortality and the greatest growth gains were recorded in the group of birds fed with GSPE between 10 to 20 mg/kg. In the second experiment, 12 mg/kg of GSPE supplementation in the diet significantly reduced the mortality and lesion scores in birds after the infection with 5 x 10(4) and 1 x 10(5) oocysts of E. tenella. The weight gains also improved significantly. After the oral infection with 5 x 10(4) and 1 x 10(5) of E. tenella, analysis of the status of antioxidant/oxidant system revealed that plasma NO increased significantly from 7.11 to 21.31 micromol/L, plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) decreased from 126.55 to 111.14 U/mL, and malondiadehyde increased, suggesting oxidative stress was increased in circulation. However, supplementation of 12 mg/kg GSPE reduced the level of plasma NO from 21.31 to 14.73 micromol/L and increased plasma SOD activities from 111.14 to 133.27 U/mL. The effects of incorporation of GSPE into the poultry diet on the concentration of plasma NO, malondiadehyde, and SOD indicated that the lower concentration of dietary GSPE was able to restore the balance of antioxidant/oxidant system that was exerted by the oxidative stress after the parasite infection. The current results suggested GSPE can act as an antioxidant in diet to improve the performance of broiler chickens and remedy the clinical symptoms caused by the oxidative stress of E. tenella infection.