Effect of baotaiyin on IL-23 /Th17 immune inflammatory axis in mouse model of spontaneous abortion. / ä¸­è¯ä¿èƒŽé¥®å¯¹è‡ªç„¶æµäº§å°é¼ æ¨¡åž‹IL-23/Th17å ç–«ç‚Žç—‡è½´çš„å½±å“.

OBJECTIVES: The mechanism for traditional Chinese medicine in treating of recurrent spontaneous abortion is not clear. This study aims to explore the mechanism of baotaiyin in the treatment of recurrent abortion by regulating the immune inflammatory axis of interleukin (IL)-23/helper T cell (Th)17. METHODS: Spontaneous abortion model mice were randomly divided into a model group, 3 dose (low, medium, and high) groups of baotaiyin, with 10 mice in each group. After 14 days of medication, the levels of IL-17, IL-23, IL-10, and TGF-ß in serum were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The proportion of Th17 and regulatory T cells (Treg) cells in spleen lymphocytes was tested with flow cytometry. The expressions of (retinoid-related orphan receptor γt, ROR-γt) and forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) mRNA in decidua tissues was detected with RT-PCR. Embryo absorption rate was counted. RESULTS: Compared with the model group, the absorption rate of embryo and Th17/Treg cell ratio in baotaiyin medium- and high-dose groups were decreased significantly (all P<0.05); the levels of IL-17 and IL-23 in serum were decreased (both P<0.05), while the levels of TGF-ß and IL-10 in baotaiyin medium- and high-dose groups were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01, respectively); the expression of ROR-γt mRNA was decreased and the expression of FOXP3 mRNA was increased (all P<0.01) in decidua tissues of baotaiyin medium- and high-dose groups. CONCLUSIONS: Baotaiyin inhibits the positive feedback cycle of IL-23/Th17 immune inflammatory axis, which regulates Th17/Treg cell balance, mediates the maternal and fetal immune tolerance, and prevents the recurrent abortion.

Effects of aqueous extracts from the rhizome of Pontederia cordata on the growth and interspecific competition of two algal species.

Single and co-culture systems of Microcystis aeruginosa and Scenedesmus obliquus were prepared with different initial algal densities and treated with different concentrations of aqueous extracts from the rhizome of Pontederia cordata to study its inhibitory effect on algal growth and the competitive relationship between these two algal species. The results showed that aqueous extracts could inhibit the growth of M. aeruginosa and S. obliquus, and the inhibition rate of aqueous extracts on the growth of M. aeruginosa was always higher than that of S. obliquus. A Lotka-Volterra competition model revealed that these two algal species can co-exist without the addition of aqueous extracts, and S. obliquus exhibited a stronger ability to compete than that of M. aeruginosa. Meanwhile, the dominant algal species changed with the addition of aqueous extracts regardless of the initial ratios of the two algae. The species ratio of mixed cultures had a strong effect on the interspecific interaction between the two algae. The higher proportion of S. obliquus in the initial proportion of two algae, the stronger competitive ability of S. obliquus when compared with that of M. aeruginosa.

Flavor and chiral stability of lemon-flavored hard tea during storage.

Flavor stability of hard tea beverage was investigated over eight weeks of storage. The volatile compounds were analyzed using solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) and two-dimensional GC-MS. Quantitative analysis showed that the concentrations of linalool, citronellol, geranial, neral, geraniol, and nerol decreased dramatically during storage, whereas α-terpineol showed an increasing trend during storage. Heart-cut two-dimensional GC-MS (2D-GC-MS) chirality analysis showed that (R)-(+)-limonene, (R)-(-)-linalool, (S)-(-)-α-terpineol and (S)-(-)-4-terpineol dominated in the fresh hard tea samples, however, the configuration changed during storage for the terpene alcohols. The storage conditions did not change the configuration of limonene. A conversion of (R)-(-)-linalool to (S)-(+) form was observed during storage. Both (S)-α-terpineol and (S)-4-terpineol dominated at beginning of the storage, but (R)-(+)-α-terpineol became dominated after storage, suggested in addition to isomerization from (S)-α-terpineol, other precursors could also generate α-terpineol with (R)-isomer preference.

Inhibitory effects of Pontederia cordata on the growth of Microcystis aeruginosa.

This study investigated the effect of Pontederia cordata on Microcystis aeruginosa growth in three different experimental settings: (i) co-cultivation, (ii) exposure of cyanobacteria to culture water of P. cordata, and (iii) exposure of M. aeruginosa to organic extracts of P. cordata. Results showed that the growth of M. aeruginosa was significantly inhibited by co-cultivation, with the highest inhibition rate of 61.9% within 5 days. Moreover, 95% culture water with P. cordata could markedly inhibit the growth of M. aeruginosa, with inhibition rate of 98.3% on day 6, indicating that most of the algal cells died. The organic extracts of fibrous root showed stronger inhibition effect than the leaf and stalk extracts. Acetone extract of fibrous root showed the strongest inhibitory effect on M. aeruginosa. Different components of 80% acetone extracts from fibrous root exhibited varied effects on the growth of M. aeruginosa. Ethyl acetate and water components had strong inhibition effects on M. aeruginosa. By contrast, n-butyl alcohol components had weak inhibition effects, and hexane components even promoted the growth of M. aeruginosa. Allelochemicals of P. cordata were primarily released into the water through the fibrous root. Results indicated that P. cordata can be applied in environmentally friendly algal inhibition.

Aroma Stability of Lemon-Flavored Hard Iced Tea Assessed by Chirality and Aroma Extract Dilution Analysis.

The aroma of fresh and aged lemon-flavored hard tea was investigated by aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), quantitative comparison, and two-dimensional chirality analysis. Aroma extract dilution analysis of fresh hard tea samples showed 3-methylbutanal, isoamyl alcohol, ß-damascenone, ß-ionone, 2-phenylethanol, 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone, and vanillin could be the most important aroma contributors to the hard tea due to their high FD values. The analysis of the aged hard tea samples did not reveal new compound formation during storage; however, compared with fresh samples, the flavor dilution value changed substantially in the aged samples. Both AEDA and quantitative analysis demonstrated that ß-damascenone increased substantially in aged samples, whereas terpene aldehydes decreased substantially after storage. In addition, the FD value of linalool decreased dramatically in aged samples. Two-dimensional GC-MS chirality analysis revealed the FD value decrease of linalool in aged samples was largely due to the transformation of (R)-linalool to (S)-linalool, which has a higher sensory threshold.