Comparison analysis of metabolite profiling in seeds and bark of Ulmus parvifolia, a Chinese medicine species.

Ulmus parvifolia (U. parvifolia) is a Chinese medicine plant whose bark and leaves are used in the treatment of some diseases such as inflammation, diarrhea and fever. However, metabolic signatures of seeds have not been studied. The seeds and bark of U. parvifolia collected at the seed ripening stage were used for metabolite profiling analysis through the untargeted metabolomics approach. A total of 2,578 and 2,207 metabolites, while 503 and 132 unique metabolites were identified in seeds and bark, respectively. Additionally, 574 differential metabolites (DEMs) were detected in the two different organs of U. parvifolia, which were grouped into 52 classes. Most kinds of metabolites classed into prenol lipids class. The relative content of flavonoids class was the highest. DEMs contained some bioactive compounds (e.g., flavonoids, terpene glycosides, triterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids) with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer activities. Most kinds of flavonoids and sesquiterpenes were up-regulated in seeds. There were more varieties of terpene glycosides and triterpenoids showing up-regulated in bark. The pathway enrichment was performed, while flavonoid biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis were worthy of attention. This study identified DEMs with pharmaceutical value between seeds and bark during seed maturation and offered a molecular basis for alternative or complementary use of seeds and bark of U. parvifolia as a Chinese medicinal material.

Fractal features of soil particle size distributions and their potential as an indicator of Robinia pseudoacacia invasion1.

To study the fractal dimensions of the soil particle size distributions (PSDs) within different plantations (of Pinus densiflora, Quercus acutissima, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Larix kaempferi) and evaluate PSDs as an indicator of the likelihood of Robinia pseudoacacia invasion, the soil porosity of 0-20 cm soil layers was measured at different plantations in the Yaoxiang Forest Farm, Shandong Province, China. The results showed that the fractal dimension (Dm) values varied from 2.59 to 2.70 among the different plantations and were significantly negatively correlated to sand content and positively correlated to silt content and clay content. Significant negative correlations were observed between Dm and both soil organic matter (SOM) (P < 0.05) and available phosphorus (P < 0.01). The multifractal entropy dimension (D1) and entropy dimension/capacity dimension (D1/D0) parameters were not significantly correlated with SOM, although significant correlations were found between SOM and each of D0, Δα, and Δf(α). Compared with the other plantations, the Robinia pseudoacacia plantation had higher nutrient contents, higher D0 and D1 values and lower Dm values. Based on principal component analysis (PCA) ordination, we concluded that Robinia pseudoacacia and Pinus densiflora shared a similar habitat and that Robinia pseudoacacia is more likely to invade Pinus densiflora plantations for soil.

A new triterpenoid saponin from Abrus precatorius Linn.

A new triterpenoid saponin, 3-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-ß-D-glucopyranosyl subprogenin D (1), together with six known triterpenoids: subprogenin D (2), abrusgenic acid (3), triptotriterpenic acid B (4), abruslactone A (5), abrusogenin (6) and abrusoside C (7) were isolated from the leaves and stems of Abrus precatorius. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of physical and NMR analysis, respectively. Compounds 5 and 6 showed moderate cytotoxicity against MCF-7, SW1990, Hela, and Du-145 cell lines. Compounds 1, 2 and 4 were isolated from this plant for the first time.