Growth performance and element concentrations reveal the calcicole-calcifuge behavior of three Adiantum species.

BACKGROUND: The calcicole or calcifuge behavior of wild plants has been related to element deficiency or toxicity. For fern species, however, knowledge about their adaptive differences and responses to soil environmental changes is virtually absent. In the karst regions of southern China, most Adiantum species favor calcareous soils, but A. flabellulatum prefers acidic soils. Such contrasting preferences for soil types in the same genus are interesting and risky because their preferred soils may "pollute" each other due to extreme precipitation events. We mixed calcareous and acidic soils at 1:1 (v/v) to simulate the "polluted" soils and grew three Adiantum species (the calcicole A. capillus-veneris f. dissectum and A. malesianum and the calcifuge A. flabellulatum) on the calcareous, acidic and mixed soils for 120 d and assessed their growth performance and element concentrations. RESULTS: The calcareous soil showed the highest pH, Ca, Mg and P concentrations but the lowest K concentration, followed by the mixed soil, and the acidic soil. After 120 d of growth, the calcifuge A. flabellulatum on the calcareous and mixed soils exhibited lower SPAD and relative growth rate (RGR) than those on the acidic soil, and its leaf and root Ca, Mg and Fe concentrations were higher and K was lower on the calcareous soil than on the acidic soil. The calcicole A. capillus-veneris f. dissectum on the calcareous soil had similar leaf element concentrations and RGR with those on the mixed soil, but their leaf Ca, Fe and Al were lower and leaf P and K concentrations, SPAD and RGR were higher than those on the acidic soil. For the calcicole A. malesianum, leaf Ca, Fe and Al were lowest and leaf P and RGR were highest when grown on the mixed soil, intermediated on the calcareous soil, and on the acidic soil. Compared with A. malesianum, A. capillus-veneris f. dissectum had lower leaf Ca, Fe and Al but higher leaf Mg concentration when grown on the same calcareous or mixed soils. CONCLUSIONS: A. capillus-veneris f. dissectum is a low leaf Ca calcicole species while A. malesianum is an Al accumulating calcicole species. They can effectively take up P and K to leaves and hence can thrive on calcareous soils. In contrast, the calcifuge A. flabellulatum grown on calcareous soils is stunted. Such growth performance may be attributed to the increased leaf Ca and decreased leaf K concentration. If their preferred soils are "polluted", A. flabellulatum can grow worse, A. capillus-veneris f. dissectum can remain almost unaffected while A. malesianum will perform better.

Composition of Ophiopogon Polysaccharide, Notoginseng Total Saponins and Rhizoma Coptidis Alkaloids Inhibits the Myocardial Apoptosis on Diabetic Atherosclerosis Rabbit / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effects of Composition of Ophiopogon polysaccharide, Notoginseng total saponins and Rhizoma Coptidis alkaloids (CONR) on myocardial apoptosis of diabetic atherosclerosis (DA) rabbits METHODS: Sixty male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into 6 groups [control group, model group, CONR high-dose group (450 mg/kg), CONR medium-dose group (150 mg/kg), CONR low-dose group (50 mg/kg), and simvastatin group] by using a completely random method, 10 in each group. DA model was established by intravenously injected alloxan combined with high-fat diet and abdominal aortic balloon injury. After mediation for 10 weeks, fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (GHB), glycosylated serum protein (GSP), fructoseamine (FRA), aldose reductase (AR), advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in serum were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method; the expression of receptor of AGEs (RAGE) in myocardial tissue were observed by immunohistochemical method; and p-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma-2 (bcl-2) protein expression in myocardial tissue were measured by Western blotting. The myocardial apoptosis was detected by TdT-mediated dUTPnick-end labeling (TUNEL) method, and apoptosis index (AI) was calculated.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the control group, serum FBG, GHB, GSP, FRA, AR, AGEs and the expression of myocardium RAGE, p-JNK, caspase-3 proteins, as well as apoptosis index (AI) were significantly increased and bcl-2 protein was significantly decreased in the model group (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the levels of serum FBG, GHB, GSP, FRA and AR showed a significant decline in CONR high- and medium-dose groups (P<0.01). FBG and GHB showed a significant decline in CONR low-dose group (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the expression of serum AGEs and myocardium RAGE, p-JNK and caspase-3 protein as well as AI were significantly decreased and bcl-2 protein was significantly up-regulated in all treatment groups (P<0.01); high-dose CONR had the most significant effect on abovementioned indices compared with other treatment groups (P<0.01). Middle-dose CONR had better effect on serum AGEs compared with the low-dose group (P<0.01); middle-dose CONR and simvastatin groups had better effect on the expression of caspase-3, bcl-2 protein, myocardium apoptosis compared with the CONR low-dose group (P<0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#CONR may effectively inhibit myocardial apoptosis on DA rabbits by intervening AGEs-RAGE and JNK, caspase-3, and bcl-2 protein expressions.

Effects of Chinese Herbal Compounds on Levels of Blood Glucose, Froctosamine and Insulin of Diabetic Rats / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To observe the effects of Chinese herbal compounds (alkaloid of Coptidis Rhizoma 40%, total saponin of panax notoginseng 35%, and polysaccharide of Ophiopogonis Radix 25%) on levels of blood glucose, fructosamine, and insulin of diabetic rats, and explore mechanism of action.Methods Ten rats were randomly chosen as blank control group, and other rats were used to establish diabetic rat models by STZ intraperitoneal injection. Successfully molding rats were randomly divided into Chinese herbal compounds high, medium, low dose groups, metformin group, and model group, 10 rats in each group. Each rat received gavage for continuous 4 weeks. Then rat blood was collected by cutting head and taking caudal vein. FBG was detected by glucose oxidase method;insulin level was detected by radio-immunity double antibody method;fructosamine content was detected by fructosamine method.Results Compared with the blank control group, model group the levels of FBG, froctosamine content increased, while fasting insulin level were lower after 4 weeks'medication. Compared with the model group, the levels of FBG, froctosamine content in Chinese herbal compounds high and medium dose groups and metformin group were lower, while fasting insulin level increased after 4 weeks'medication (P<0.05).Conclusion TCM herbal compounds can increased the basic insulin level by decreasing the contents of FBG and fructosamine.

Artemisinin biosynthesis enhancement in transgenic Artemisia annua plants by downregulation of the ß-caryophyllene synthase gene.

Artemisinin is an effective antimalarial drug isolated from the medicinal plant Artemisia annua L. Due to its increasing market demand and the low yield in A. annua, there is a great interest in increasing its production. In this paper, in an attempt to increase artemisinin content of A. ANNUA by suppressing the expression of ß-caryophyllene synthase, a sesquiterpene synthase competing as a precursor of artemisinin, the antisense fragment (750 bp) of ß-caryophyllene synthase cDNA was inserted into the plant expression vector pBI121 and introduced into A. annua by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. PCR and Southern hybridization confirmed the stable integration of multiple copies of the transgene in 5 different transgenic lines of A. annua. Reverse transcription PCR showed that the expression of endogenous CPS in the transgenic lines was significantly lower than that in the wild-type control A. annua plants, and ß-caryophyllene content decreased sharply in the transgenic lines in comparison to the control. The artemisinin content of one of the transgenic lines showed an increase of 54.9 % compared with the wild-type control. The present study demonstrated that the inhibition pathway in the precursor competition for artemisinin biosynthesis by anti-sense technology is an effective means of increasing the artemisinin content of A. annua plants.

Clinical observation of Yiling-Qutan Decoction used to treat sub-health / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of the Yiling-Qutan Decoction on treating Sub-health and the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine.Methods 219 cases of Sub-health and belonging to dampness-phlegm syndrome and were collected and treated with Yiling-Qutan Decoction for 1 month.The effective rate of syndrome of traditional Chinese medicine and state of Sub-health,syndrome score of traditional Chinese medicine and sub-health status score were observed.Results The effective rate of syndrome of traditional Chinese medicine:7 patients were cured,35 cases were significantly effective,171 cases were effective and 6 cases were unfruitful.The improvement of syndrome score of and Sub-health status were also significantly better (P＜0.01).Conclusion It was effective to treat sub-health with Yiling-Qutan Decoction.

Effect of Runing II on expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in transplanted tumor of mammary cancer MA-891 in TA2 mice / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of Runing II on expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in transplanted tumor of mammary cancer MA-891 in TA2 mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The MA-981 mice mammary cancer cell cultivated in vivo was inoculated into the right axilla subcutaneously of TA2 mice to establish the transplanted tumor model, which were treated with Runing II.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Runing II could inhibit the growth of transplanted tumor and the occurrence of lung metastasis (P < 0.05), reduce the expression of VEGF protein and mRNA in tumor tissue (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Runing II could reduce the expression of VEGF protein and mRNA, hence to inhibit the growth of tumor and lung metastasis.</p>