RESUMEN
Nanobubble (NB) water has been shown to promote the growth of several types of plants and animals, but the mechanism underlying this promoting effect remains unclear. The present study evaluated the mechanism by which NBs maintain the freshness of cut flowers by keeping cut chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) flowers at the bud stage in vase water containing air NBs. The condition of petals and leaves was assessed to determine the vase life of these cut flowers. The NB treatment delayed bud opening and petal senescence of the inflorescences. Water absorption and transpiration by cut flower stems were lower in NB water than in distilled water (DW). Furthermore, when all the leaves were removed from the cut flower stems, no significant difference in vase life was observed between NB water and DW. These findings indicate that the inhibition of transpiration from leaves prolonged the vase life of NB-treated cut chrysanthemum flowers. In the early stage of the treatment, NB treatment significantly reduced transpiration without closing stomata, suggesting that the reduction in transpiration observed in the NB-treated plants might be due to the suppression of cuticular transpiration, defined as water loss through the epidermis. Surface tension, one of the important driving forces of water movement in plants, was not affected by the presence of NBs in water. To our knowledge, this is the first report to show that transpiration from leaves is inhibited by NB treatment.
RESUMEN
Impairment of serotonergic neurotransmission is the major factor responsible for depression and glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (GSK-3ß) participates in serotonergic transmission-mediated signaling networks relevant to mental illnesses. In the forced-swim test to assess depression-like behavior, the immobility time for mice with restraint stress was significantly longer than that for nonstressed control mice. Postsynaptic cell surface localization of 5-HT1A receptor, but not 5-HT2A receptor, in the hypothalamus for mice with restraint stress was significantly reduced as compared with that for control mice, which highly correlated to prolonged immobility time, i.e., depression-like behavior. The linoleic acid derivative 8-[2-(2-pentyl-cyclopropylmethyl)-cyclopropyl]-octanoic acid (DCP-LA) restored restraint stress-induced reduction of cell surface 5-HT1A receptor and improved depression-like behavior in mice with restraint stress. Moreover, DCP-LA stimulated serotonin release from hypothalamic slices and cancelled restraint stress-induced reduction of GSK-3ß phosphorylation at Ser9. Taken together, the results of the present study indicate that DCP-LA could ameliorate depression-like behavior by promoting translocation of 5-HT1A receptor to the plasma membrane on postsynaptic cells, stimulating serotonin release, and inactivating GSK-3ß.