Structural and biofunctional diversity of sulfated polysaccharides from the genus Codium (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta): A review.

It is believed that polysaccharides will become a focal point for future production of food, pharmaceuticals, and materials due to their ubiquitous and renewable nature, as well as their exceptional properties that have been extensively validated in the fields of nutrition, healthcare, and materials. Sulfated polysaccharides derived from seaweed sources have attracted considerable attention owing to their distinctive structures and properties. The genus Codium, represented by the species C. fragile, holds significance as a vital economic green seaweed and serves as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. To date, the cell walls of the genus Codium have been found to contain at least four types of sulfated polysaccharides, specifically pyruvylated ß-d-galactan sulfates, sulfated arabinogalactans, sulfated ß-l-arabinans, and sulfated ß-d-mannans. These sulfated polysaccharides exhibit diverse biofunctions, including anticoagulant, immune-enhancing, anticancer, antioxidant activities, and drug-carrying capacity. This review explores the structural and biofunctional diversity of sulfated polysaccharides derived from the genus Codium. Additionally, in addressing the impending challenges within the industrialization of these polysaccharides, encompassing concerns regarding scale-up production and quality control, we outline potential strategies to address these challenges from the perspectives of raw materials, extraction processes, purification technologies, and methods for quality control.

Effect of micronutrient selenium on greenhouse gas emissions and related functional genes during goat manure composting.

To explore the effect of microelement selenium on greenhouse gas emission, nitrogen loss and related functional genes during the composting. Selenite and selenate were respectively mixed with goat manure and wheat straw and then composted the mixture without selenium regarded as control. The results indicated adding selenite prolonged the thermophilic phase and improved the organic matter degradation, while the selenate presented the opposite results. Selenite and selenate influenced ammonium transformation while prompting the formation of nitrate. Compared to the control, adding selenite and selenate both decreased NH3 emissions (by 26.7%-53.1%) and increased the total nitrogen content of compost. The addition of selenium increased mcrA in the early phase of composting, thereby promoting CH4 emission (by 3.5-18.4%). Meanwhile, adding selenate significantly reduced nirK abundance and consequently reduced N2O emission. Moreover, selenate added treatment presented the highest compost maturity (88.77%) and the lowest global warm potential (117.46 g/kg CO2-eq.) among all treatments.

Effectiveness of Complementary and Integrative Approaches in Promoting Engagement and Overall Wellness Toward Suicide Prevention in Veterans.

Objective: Suicide is a major public health problem, specifically among U.S. veterans, who do not consistently engage in mental health services, often citing stigma as a barrier. Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) interventions are promising alternatives in promoting patient engagement and further, they may play a critical role in transitioning people into mental health care. Toward this goal, the Resilience and Wellness Center (RWC) was developed to break through the stigma barrier by addressing risk factors of suicide through multimodal CIH interventions via cohort design, promoting social connectedness and accountability among participants. Design: This is a program evaluation study at a large urban VA medical center, where assessments were evaluated from pre- to post-program completion to determine the effectiveness of an intensive multimodal CIH 4-week group outpatient intervention for suicide prevention. Outcome measures: Primary outcomes measured included group connectedness, severity of depression and hopelessness symptoms, suicidal ideation, sleep quality, and diet. Secondary outcomes included measures of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety severity stress/coping skills, pain, and fatigue. Results: The RWC showed high participant engagement, with an 84%-95% attendance engagement rate depending on suicide risk history. Data from 15 cohorts (N = 126) demonstrate favorable outcomes associated with participation in this comprehensive program, as evidenced by a reduction in suicidal ideation, depression, and hopelessness, but not sleep quality and diet. In addition, in a subset of veterans with a history of suicidal ideation or attempt, significant improvements were noted in pain, PTSD/anxiety symptoms, and stress coping measures. Conclusions: The RWC shows that an intensive complement of CIH interventions is associated with a significant improvement with high veteran engagement. Findings from this program evaluation study can be used to aid health care systems and their providers in determining whether or not to utilize such multimodal CIH integrated interventions as an effective treatment for at-risk populations as a part of suicide prevention efforts.

Glucuronidation and its effect on the bioactivity of amentoflavone, a biflavonoid from Ginkgo biloba leaves.

OBJECTIVES: Ginkgo biloba leaves contain amentoflavone (AMF), a dietary flavonoid that possesses antioxidant and anticancer activity. Flavonoids are extensively subjected to glucuronidation. This study aimed to determine the metabolic profile of AMF and the effect of glucuronidation on AMF bioactivity. METHODS: A pharmacokinetic study was conducted to determine the plasma concentrations of AMF and its metabolites. The metabolic profile of AMF was elucidated using different species of microsomes. The antioxidant activity of AMF metabolites was determined using DPPH/ABTS radical and nitric oxide assays. The anticancer activity of AMF metabolites was evaluated in U87MG/U251 cells. KEY FINDINGS: Pharmacokinetic studies indicated that the oral bioavailability of AMF was 0.06 ± 0.04%, and the area under the curve of the glucuronidated AMF metabolites (410.938 ± 62.219 ng/ml h) was significantly higher than that of AMF (194.509 ± 16.915 ng/ml h). UGT1A1 and UGT1A3 greatly metabolized AMF. No significant difference was observed in the antioxidant activity between AMF and its metabolites. The anticancer activity of AMF metabolites significantly decreased. CONCLUSIONS: A low AMF bioavailability was due to extensive glucuronidation, which was mediated by UGT1A1 and UGT1A3. Glucuronidated AMF metabolites had the same antioxidant but had a lower anticancer activity than that of AMF.

Purification and characterization of a glucose-tolerant ß-glucosidase from black plum seed and its structural changes in ionic liquids.

The objective of this study was to characterize a plant origin ß-glucosidase from black plum seeds and identify its conformational changes in twenty-six imidazolium- and amino acid-based ionic liquids (ILs). The results revealed that the purified 60 kDa enzyme was monomeric in nature, maximally active at 55 °C and pH 5.0, and nearly completely inhibited by Hg2+ and Ag+. Attractive peculiarities of the relative low kinetic and higher glucose inhibition constants (Km = 0.58 mM [pNPG]; Ki = 193.5 mM [glucose]) demonstrated its potential applications in food industry. Circular dichroism studies showed that the secondary structural changes of the enzyme depended not only on the anions, but also on the cations of the assayed ILs. Interestingly, no corresponding relations were observed between the changes in enzyme structure induced by ILs and its catalytic activities, suggesting that the influences of ILs on enzymatic processes don't rely simply on enzyme conformational changes.

Induction of C/EBP homologous protein-mediated apoptosis and autophagy by licochalcone A in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Licochalcone A (LCA), a flavonoid isolated from the famous Chinese medicinal herb Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, presents obvious anti-cancer effects. In this study, the anti-cancer effects and potential mechanisms of LCA in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells were studied. LCA decreased cell viability, increased lactate dehydrogenase release, and induced apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner in NSCLC cells while not in human embryonic lung fibroblast cells. The expression of phosphatidylethanolamine-modified microtubule-associated protein light-chain 3 (LC3-II) and formation of GFP-LC3 punta, two autophagic markers, were increased after treatment with LCA. LCA-induced LC3-II expression was increased when combined with chloroquine (CQ), while knock-down of autophagy related protein (ATG) 7 or ATG5 reversed LCA-induced LC3-II expression and GFP-LC3 punta formation, suggesting that LCA induced autophagy in NSCLC cells. Inhibition of autophagy could not reverse the LCA-induced cell viability decrease and apoptosis. In addition, LCA increased the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress related proteins, such as binding immunoglobulin protein and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP). Knock-down of CHOP reversed LCA-induced cell viability decrease, apoptosis, and autophagy. Taken together, LCA-induced autophagic effect is an accompanied phenomenon in NSCLC cells, and CHOP is critical for LCA-induced cell viability decrease, apoptosis, and autophagy.

[Comparison of Chemical Components of Essential Oil from Ocimum basilicum var. pilosum Extracted by Supercritical CO2 Fluid and Steam Distillation].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the chemical components of essential oil prepared by steam distillation extraction (SD) and supercritical CO2 fluid extraction (SFE-CO2) from Ocimum basilicum var. pilosum whole plant. METHODS: The essential oil of Ocimum basilicum var. pilosum were extracted by SD and SFE-CO2. The chemical components of essential oil were separated and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry( GC-MS). Their relative contents were determined by normalization of peak area. RESULTS: 40 and 42 compounds were detected in the essential oil prepared by SD and SFE-CO2 respectively. 25 compounds were common. CONCLUSION: Thereare significant differences of the chemical components between the Ocimum basilicum var. pilosum essential oil prepared by SD and thatby SFE-CO2. Different methods showed different extraction efficiency with a special compound. It might be a good idea to unite several methods in the modern traditional Chinese medicine industry.

[Molluscicidal activity of methanol extracts of Jatropha curcas leaves against Ampullaria gigas].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the molluscicidal activities of methanol extract of Jatropha curcas leaves against Ampullaria gigas. METHODS: Young snails, adult snails and eggs of Ampullaria gigas were treated with the methanol extract of J. curcas leaves at different doses for different time lengths and the molluscicidal effects of the extract were evaluated. RESULTS: The methanol extract showed a significant molluscicidal effect on the young snails at a low concentration, and treatment with 75 mg/L extract for more than 3 days resulted in a 100% mortality rate of the young snails. The Jatropha leaf methanol extract also showed toxicity to adult snails and eggs. CONCLUSION: Jatropha leaves have a great potential for developing green pesticides to control Ampullaria gigas, but its biochemical mechanism needs further research.

Overexpression of a weed (Solanum americanum) proteinase inhibitor in transgenic tobacco results in increased glandular trichome density and enhanced resistance to Helicoverpa armigera and Spodoptera litura.

In this study we produced transgenic tobacco plants by overexpressing a serine proteinase inhibitor gene, SaPIN2a, from the American black nightshade Solanum americanum under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. SaPIN2a was properly transcribed and translated as indicated by Northern blot and Western blot analyses. Functional integrity of SaPIN2a in transgenic plants was confirmed by proteinase inhibitory activity assay. Bioassays for insect resistance showed that SaPIN2a-overexpressing transgenic tobacco plants were more resistant to cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) and tobacco cutworm (Spodoptera litura) larvae, two devastating pests of important crop plants, than the control plants. Interestingly, overexpression of SaPIN2a in transgenic tobacco plants resulted in a significant increase in glandular trichome density and a promotion of trichome branching, which could also provide an additional resistance mechanism in transgenic plants against insect pests. Therefore, SaPIN2a could be used as an alternative proteinase inhibitor for the production of insect-resistant transgenic plants.

[Gas chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis of Jatropha curcas leaf extracts prepared by supercritical fluid CO2 extraction].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the bioactive components in Jatropha curcas leaves using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). METHODS: The bioactive components were extracted from J. curcas leaves by supercritical fluid CO2 extraction and analyzed by using GC-MS. RESULTS: Seventy peaks were detected by GC-MS, and 43 compounds were identified (61.43%). Among the identified compounds, 16 had a content of more than 1%, and the total contents of these 16 compounds reached 81.36%. The four most abundant components were 22,23-dihydro-stigmasterol (16.14%), alpha-tocopherol (15.18%), beta-amylin (7.73%) and dotriacontanol (7.02%). The content of gamma-tocopherol reached 2.88% and vitamin E reached 18.06% in the extract. CONCLUSION: J. curcas leaves contain multiple compounds with anti-tumor, anti-virus and antimicrobial activities.

[Oil contents and fatty acid composition in Jatropha curcas seeds collected from different regions].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the oil contents and fatty acid composition among the samples of Jatropha curcas L. seeds collected from China (Guangdong, Hainan, and Guizhou Provinces) and India. METHODS: Soxhlet extraction method and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were employed to determine the oil contents of Jatropha seeds and the fatty acid composition of Jatropha oil. RESULTS: The seed oil contents (dry basis) were 32.43% (Guangdong), 31.41% (Hainan), 37.56% (Guizhou) and 41.04% (India), respectively. Twelve different fatty acids were detected by GC-MS, and the content of total unsaturated fatty acids accounted for 80.93%, 79.53%, 77.24% and 78.22% of the total fatty acids in the samples collected from Guangdong, Hainan, Guizhou and India, respectively. CONCLUSION: There are differences in the oil contents and fatty acid composition among the J. curcas seeds collected from different regions, and attention should be given to these differences in the introduction and breeding of J. curcas.

Using silica particles to isolate total RNA from plant tissues recalcitrant to extraction in guanidine thiocyanate.

The most commonly used protocol of the RNA isolation, the guanidine thiocyanate method, was unsuitable for recalcitrant plant tissues containing a large amount of storage proteins and secondary metabolites. We demonstrated that RNA could bind to the silica particles, which have been used successfully in DNA isolation from various sources, under a high concentration of NaCl in the presence of ethanol and sodium acetate. Based on this observation, an efficient, inexpensive, and highly reproducible technique, the acid phenol-silica method, was developed to isolate high-quality RNAs from various plant tissues recalcitrant to extraction in guanidine thiocyanate.

Purification and characterization of native and recombinant SaPIN2a, a plant sieve element-localized proteinase inhibitor.

SaPIN2a encodes a proteinase inhibitor in nightshade (Solanum americanum), which is specifically localized to the enucleate sieve elements. It has been proposed to play an important role in phloem development by regulating proteolysis in sieve elements. In this study, we purified and characterized native SaPIN2a from nightshade stems and recombinant SaPIN2a expressed in Escherichia coli. Purified native SaPIN2a was found as a charge isomer family of homodimers, and was weakly glycosylated. Native SaPIN2a significantly inhibited serine proteinases such as trypsin, chymotrypsin, and subtilisin, with the most potent inhibitory activity on subtilisin. It did not inhibit cysteine proteinase papain and aspartic proteinase cathepsin D. Recombinant SaPIN2a had a strong inhibitory effect on chymotrypsin, but its inhibitory activities toward trypsin and especially toward subtilisin were greatly reduced. In addition, native SaPIN2a can effectively inhibit midgut trypsin-like activities from Trichoplusia ni and Spodoptera litura larvae, suggesting a potential for the production of insect-resistant transgenic plants.