Effect of Predry-treatment on the bioactive constituents and quality of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) oil from three cultivars growing in China.

Avocado oil has gained a lot of favor in foods and cosmetics because of its high-quality fatty acid composition and bioactive components. This study aimed to compare the effect of various predry-treatments on the yield and quality of avocado oil from three Chinese avocado (Persea americana Mill.) varieties (Hass, Reed, and Pinkerton). The results showed that drying methods had significant effect on the avocado oil yield and its composition. Among the three drying methods the highest yield was obtained by freeze drying, and Hass showed the highest yield in the three avocado varieties with its oil owning the lowest peroxide and anisidine value. Reed oil owned the highest levels of functional micronutrients (e.g., tocopherols, phenolics, squalene). Vacuum drying resulted in higher concentrations of tocopherols, phytosterols, phenolics, squalene, and thus rendered greater DPPH and ABTS scavenging activity. These results are important to improve the quality of Chinese avocado oil.

Transcriptome dynamic landscape underlying the improvement of maize lodging resistance under coronatine treatment.

BACKGROUND: Lodging is one of the important factors causing maize yield. Plant height is an important factor in determining plant architecture in maize (Zea mays L.), which is closely related to lodging resistance under high planting density. Coronatine (COR), which is a phytotoxin and produced by the pathogen Pseudomonas syringae, is a functional and structural analogue of jasmonic acid (JA). RESULTS: In this study, we found COR, as a new plant growth regulator, could effectively reduce plant height and ear height of both hybrids (ZD958 and XY335) and inbred (B73) maize by inhibiting internode growth during elongation, thus improve maize lodging resistance. To study gene expression changes in internode after COR treatment, we collected spatio-temporal transcriptome of inbred B73 internode under normal condition and COR treatment, including the three different regions of internode (fixed, meristem and elongation regions) at three different developmental stages. The gene expression levels of the three regions at normal condition were described and then compared with that upon COR treatment. In total, 8605 COR-responsive genes (COR-RGs) were found, consist of 802 genes specifically expressed in internode. For these COR-RGs, 614, 870, 2123 of which showed expression changes in only fixed, meristem and elongation region, respectively. Both the number and function were significantly changed for COR-RGs identified in different regions, indicating genes with different functions were regulated at the three regions. Besides, we found more than 80% genes of gibberellin and jasmonic acid were changed under COR treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide a gene expression profiling in different regions of internode development and molecular mechanism of COR affecting internode elongation. A putative schematic of the internode response to COR treatment is proposed which shows the basic process of COR affecting internode elongation. This research provides a useful resource for studying maize internode development and improves our understanding of the COR regulation mechanism based on plant height.

Effects of Tart Cherry Powder on Serum Uric Acid in Hyperuricemia Rat Model.

Hyperuricemia, as a critical risk factor for various adverse clinical outcomes, shows a trend of increasing prevalence among young-aged population. Dietary adjuvant therapy by function foods, such as tart cherry, is promising. Thus, effects of tart cherry powder specialized in hyperuricemia were explored via establishing a hyperuricemia model in Sprague Dawley rats by cotreatment with oteracil potassium and adenine. The results indicated that low dose of tart cherry powder (0.17 g/kg·bw) showed effects on hyperuricemia by slightly decreasing serum uric acid and improving kidney injury, whereas high dose of tart cherry powder (0.50 g/kg·bw) could merely alleviate kidney injury. Meanwhile, adenosine deaminase activity rather than xanthine oxidase activity was affected at low dose, which reveals low dose of tarty cherry powder may be beneficial to hyperuricemia through reduction of ADA activity, and its reported potentials on antioxidation or anti-inflammation provide clues for further study.

Effects of freeze-thaw cycles on the physicochemical characteristics of animal manure and its phosphorus forms.

The variations of phosphorus (P) in animal manure during freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) profoundly influence on non-point source P loss in winter. Therefore, understanding how FTCs influence the physicochemical properties of animal manure and its P availability is crucial. In this study, the freeze-thaw treatment was performed by incubating the pig manure at -20 °C for 12 h and at 18 °C for 12 h. The freeze-only treatment was maintained at -20 °C as a control. In addition, the pig manure was kept at two moisture levels during the FTCs and sampled every five cycles. Six forms of P in the manure were extracted and analyzed. After 30 cycles, the dissolved organic carbon had increased from 10.49 to 13.56 g/kg, and the pH had decreased from 6.25 to 5.77. The particles originally >1000 µm were broken into particles <250 µm. The forms of P in manure shifted from Ca-P, occluded P, and residual P towards NH4Cl-P, Al-P and Fe-P, resulting in a 23% increase in bioavailable P. These variations were highly coincident with the increase in moisture content and FTC frequency. The proportion of particles <38 µm increased by more than 2% after the FTCs, and the manure P was mainly concentrated in these particles, which might be readily washed away by the melt water. Overall, the study indicated that FTCs could enhance the bioavailability of P in pig manure and the mobility of particle-associated P. These findings are significant for reducing animal manure pollution in freeze-thaw season.

An assessment of human influences on sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the estuarine and coastal sediments of China.

Sediments collected from the coastal area of China, embracing west coast of Bohai Sea, south coast of Shandong Peninsula, and the Changjiang estuary (listed in order of decreasing north latitude), were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). ∑PAH (Sixteen US EPA priority PAHs) were 2.7-350.9ng/g. Petroleum residue was the major contributor of PAHs in the coastal sediments of China due to oil leakage from ships and offshore oil fields. The contribution of vehicular emissions in coast of North China was significantly lower than that in the Changjiang Estuary, and the reverse was true for coal combustion. PAH concentrations in the sediment core of the Changjiang estuary steadily increased upward and the variation was primarily due to economic development and severe floods. The impact on PAHs by vehicular emissions (37.2%) and petrogenic sources (45.8%) overwhelmed combustion sources (17.0%).

[Protective effect of Acai berries on chronic alcoholic hepatic injury in rats and their effect on inflammatory cytokines].

OBJECTIVE: To study the protective effect of Acai berries(Euterpe oleraceae) on chronic alcoholic hepatic injury in rats and their mechanism. METHOD: Wistar rats were fed for 1 week and randomly divided into blank group, model group, Dongbao Gantai group, Acai 1.6, 0.8, 0.4 g . kg-1 groups. The blank group was given distilled water, and the other groups were orally given 56% white spirit (Erguotou) for eight weeks at the dosages of 8 mL . kg-1 in the 1st week, which increased by 0.1 mL week by week till to 15 mL . kg-1, in order to establish the chronic hepatic injury model, and observe the effect of Acai berry freeze-dried powder on hepatocyte membrane permeability, liver lipid peroxidation, changes in inflammatory cytokines and pathological changes in hepatocytes. RESULT: Acai berries could significantly reduce serum ALT and AST(P<0.05), MDA(P<0.05), TG(P<0.05) and serum TNF-α and IL-6(P <0.05) and increase GSH and SOD(P <0.05). According to liver histopathological observation, livers in the model group were dominated by steatosis, some livers suffered spotty necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration; The positive drug and Acai groups showed different changes in pathologic changes in rat livers. CONCLUSION: Acai berries show s specific protective effect on alcoholic hepatic injury. Its mechanism may be correlated with the inhibition of such inflammatory factors as TNF-α and IL-6.

Antiproliferation and apoptosis of human tumor cell lines by a lectin (AMML) of Astragalus mongholicus.

A lectin (AMML) from the roots of Astragalus mongholicus was extracted and purified by affinity chromatographic technique. Human cervical carcinoma cell line (HeLa), human osteoblast-like cell line (MG63) and human leukemia cell line (K562) were used to check the effects of AMML on cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle. Maximum growth inhibition (92%) was observed with HeLa cells, followed by K562 cells (84%) and MG63 (48%) cells. Morphological observation showed that AMML-treated HeLa cells displayed outstanding apoptosis characteristics, such as nuclear fragmentation and appearance of membrane-enclosed apoptotic bodies. The apoptosis of HeLa cells was confirmed by flow cytometry using Annexin V/FITC and propidium iodide (PI) staining technique. For the first time we also report a significant cell cycle arrest at S phase of HeLa cells by AMML. Therefore, the present investigation may lead to the possible therapeutic use of Astragalus mongholicus lectin.

Phosphorus sorption and fraction characteristics in the upper, middle and low reach sediments of the Daliao river systems, China.

Stream sediments play an important role in the transport and storage of phosphorus in the stream ecosystems. This research investigated the sorption and fraction of P in the sediments of a long-term seriously contaminated river, the Daliao river system, using isotherm sorption and selective sequentially extraction tests. Results indicated that the total content of P in the sediments was 479-1202 mg kg(-1), depending on iron content in the sediments. The content of potential bioavailable P, including soluble and loosely bound P, Al bound P, Fe bound P, and reductant soluble P was only 10-20% of total P in the sediments of the Hun river and Taizi river, while it was 40-55% in the sediments of the Daliao river, the downstream of the river system. Equilibrium phosphorus concentration without net P sorption (EPC(0)) was from 0.05 to 0.54 mg L(-1), with an increasing trend from upstream to downstream, indicating increasingly release potential. On the other hand, the upstream sediment generally sorbed more P than the downstream sediment for each river at the same equilibrium P concentration. The binding energy constant of P on the strong sites of the sediments generally decreased from 2.24 to 2.65 L mg(-1) at upstream to 0.41 L mg(-1) at downstream or estuary, suggesting that the strong binding sites have been occupied and partly saturated by the phosphate added by point and diffuse sources along the river. On the other hand, molar ratio of Fe to TP contents in the sediments showed sorption capacity of the sediments to P might be under-saturated. The added or sorbed P by the isotherm test was primarily bound to Fe oxides and secondly to Al oxides. Long-term pollution of the river lead to the decrease of P sorption capacity of the river sediment and the increase of P release potential.

[AMWFA method applied to research on changes of essential components and extractive ratioes of herbal pair Cinnamomum cassia and Poria cocos].

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, chemometric resolution method-Alternative movingwindow factor analysis that were proposed recently and the Kovats retention index were used to analyze the essential components of herbal pair Cinnamomum cassia Presl and Poria cocos (CCP-PC) and compare them with those of single herbal Cinnamomum cassia Presl (CCP). 46 and 42 essential components in essential oil of CCP and CCP-PC have been identified individually. Results shows that the number of essential components of CCP and CCP-PC were almost the same, but extractive ratioes of them have changed significantly, some of them were increased obviously, most of them were declined notably instead and even several ingredients of CCP-PC were disappeared due to CCP PC's interaction probably. The main pharmacodynamic ingredients of CCP-PC, 3-phenyl-2-propenal and Cinnamaldehyde were obviously higher contents than that of single CCP. It suggested that there exist certain interactions of the chemical ingredients in compound medicine rather than their sum effect of single medicines. There is a litter difference in quality and quantity between single medicines and pair medicines, so the application of pair medicines can expand single medicine's adaptive disease and has a good clinical referenced valuation.