Effects of Piperonyl Butoxide on the Accumulation of Lipid and the Transcript Levels of DtMFPα in Dunaliella tertiolecta.

As one of the sources of biodiesel, microalgae are expected to solve petroleum shortage. In this study, different concentrations of piperonyl butoxide were added to the culture medium to investigate their effects on the growth, pigment content, lipid accumulation, and content of carotenoids in Dunaliella tertiolecta. The results showed that piperonyl butoxide addition significantly decreased the biomass, chlorophyll content, and total carotenoid content but hugely increased the lipid accumulation. With the treatment of 150 ppm piperonyl butoxide combined with 8000 Lux light intensity, the final lipid accumulation and single-cell lipid content were further increased by 21.79 and 76.42% compared to those of the control, respectively. The lipid accumulation in D. tertiolecta is probably related to the increased expression of DtMFPα in D. tertiolecta under the action of piperonyl butoxide. The phylogenetic trees of D. tertiolecta and other oil-rich plants were constructed by multiple sequence alignment of DtMFPα, demonstrating their evolutionary relationship, and the tertiary structure of DtMFPα was predicted. In conclusion, piperonyl butoxide has a significant effect on lipid accumulation in D. tertiolecta, which provides valuable insights into chemical inducers to enhance biodiesel production in microalgae to solve the problem of diesel shortage.

Hypolipidemic Components from Medicine Food Homology Species Used in China: Pharmacological and Health Effects.

Hyperlipidemia is a systemic disease caused by abnormal human lipid metabolism. Dietary control and treatment on hyperlipidemia is now a popular therapy pathway. This paper focuses on the medicine food homology (MFH) species used in China with hypolipidemic function, and emphasizes on the active ingredients and their pharmacological effect. The single herbal and its hypolipidemic active ingredients are summarized through reviewing the relevant literatures published in the past twenty years. The ingredients are divided into polysaccharides, flavonoids, steroidal saponins, quinones, alkaloids and others, of which the related researches are described from the aspects of sources, model and method, result and mechanisms, respectively. MFH exerts treating hyperlipidemia through inhibiting the biosynthesis of endogenous lipids, promoting the catabolism of exogenous lipid, restraining lipid absorption, and anti-lipid peroxidation. It is concluded that some MFH species with low toxicity and small side effects can used to adjust the diet nutrition to prevent the occurrence of hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular disease.