Mesorhizobium sp. J8 can establish symbiosis with Glycyrrhiza uralensis, increasing glycyrrhizin production.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) is a medicinal plant that contains glycyrrhizin (GL), which has various pharmacological activities. Because licorice is a legume, it can establish a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing rhizobial bacteria. However, the effect of this symbiosis on GL production is unknown. Rhizobia were isolated from root nodules of Glycyrrhiza glabra, and a rhizobium that can form root nodules in G. uralensis was selected. Whole-genome analysis revealed a single circular chromosome of 6.7 Mbp. This rhizobium was classified as Mesorhizobium by phylogenetic analysis and was designated Mesorhizobium sp. J8. When G. uralensis plants grown from cuttings were inoculated with J8, root nodules formed. Shoot biomass and SPAD values of inoculated plants were significantly higher than those of uninoculated controls, and the GL content of the roots was 3.2 times that of controls. Because uninoculated plants from cuttings showed slight nodule formation, we grew plants from seeds in plant boxes filled with sterilized vermiculite, inoculated half of the seedlings with J8, and grew them with or without 100 µM KNO3. The SPAD values of inoculated plants were significantly higher than those of uninoculated plants. Furthermore, the expression level of the CYP88D6 gene, which is a marker of GL synthesis, was 2.5 times higher than in inoculated plants. These results indicate that rhizobial symbiosis promotes both biomass and GL production in G. uralensis.

The neural correlates of gait improvement by rhythmic sound stimulation in adults with Parkinson's disease - A functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

INTRODUCTION: Adults with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience gait disturbances that can sometimes be improved with rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS); however, the underlying physiological mechanism for this improvement is not well understood. We investigated brain activation patterns in adults with PD and healthy controls (HC) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while participants imagined gait with or without RAS. METHODS: Twenty-seven adults with PD who could walk independently and walked more smoothly with rhythmic auditory cueing than without it, and 25 age-matched HC participated in this study. Participants imagined gait in the presence of RAS or white noise (WN) during fMRI. RESULTS: In the PD group, gait imagery with RAS activated cortical motor areas, including supplementary motor areas and the cerebellum, while gait imagery with WN additionally recruited the left parietal operculum. In HC, the induced activation was limited to cortical motor areas and the cerebellum for both the RAS and WN conditions. Within- and between-group analyses demonstrated that RAS reduced the activity of the left parietal operculum in the PD group but not in the HC group (condition-by-group interaction by repeated measures analysis of variance, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: During gait imagery in adults with PD, the left parietal operculum was less activated by RAS than by WN, while no change was observed in HC, suggesting that rhythmic auditory stimulation may support the sensory-motor networks involved in gait, thus alleviating the overload of the parietal operculum and compensating for its dysfunction in these patients.

Anti type I allergic property of Japanese butterbur extract and its mast cell degranulation inhibitory ingredients.

Pollenosis is a disease that affects 1 in 10 of the Japanese population. During the season of cedar pollen dispersal, many patients suffer from symptoms such as sniffling, sternutation, and itching of the eyes. Japanese butterbur is a popular vegetable and is one of the few domestic vegetables in Japan. The anti type I allergic effects of an aqueous ethanol extract from aerial parts of Japanese butterbur (JBE) were evaluated in rats and RBL-2H3 mast cells. In the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis reaction in rats, a single oral treatment of JBE (1000 mg/kg) was found to suppress the reaction. In IgE-sensitized RBL-2H3 cells, JBE (10-100 microg/mL) inhibited beta-hexosaminidase release, leukotriene C(4)/D(4)/E(4) synthesis, and TNF-alpha production. Moreover, a high concentration of JBE (1000 microg/mL) suppressed smooth muscle constriction induced by histamine (10 microM) and leukotriene D(4) (10 nM) in a guinea pig trachea strip. The search for components in JBE with an inhibitory activity on mast cell degranulation was guided by inhibition of beta-hexsosaminidase release. Two eremophilane-type sesquiterpenes, six polyphenolic compounds, and two triterpene glycosides were isolated. Of these compounds, fukinolic acid, a principal polyphenol constituent, showed potent inhibitory activity (IC(50) value = 2.1 microg/mL). Consequently, On the basis of its inhibition of mast cell activation and direct smooth muscle reaction induced by released mediators, JBE was found to suppress the type I allergic reaction.