Mobilization of recalcitrant phosphorous and enhancement of pepper P uptake and yield by a new biocontrol and bioremediation bacterium Burkholderia cepacia CQ18.

AIMS: Phosphorus (P) is a finite resource and inoculation of phosphorus-mobilizing bacteria (PMB) is a promising approach for the enhancement of soil P availability and plant P uptake. This drives scientists to search for the microbes effective in mobilizing legacy P in soils. METHODS AND RESULTS: The current incubation and greenhouse pot experiments were conducted to investigate P mobilization and pepper P uptake as affected by a new biocontrol and bioremediation bacterium Burkholderia cepacia CQ18. This bacterium converted Ca3 (PO4 )2 , FePO4 , AlPO4 , and lecithin into soluble inorganic P in the culture solutions and increased available P (including water-soluble P and Olsen P) in the soil. There were positive correlations between the soluble inorganic phosphorus and the exudates (protons, organic acids (oxalate and gluconate), siderophores and phosphatases) in culture solutions. Pepper plant biomass, fruit yield and P uptake changed in the sequence: chemical fertilizers plus bacterial inoculant >only chemical fertilizers >only bacterial inoculant >blank control. CONCLUSIONS: Taking into account the wide spectrums of P mobilization and simultaneous production of acid, neutral and alkaline phosphatases at a given pH, B.cepacia CQ18 may be a potential PMB used in soils with wide pH ranges. The mechanisms employed by this bacterium in the solubilization of recalcitrant inorganic P could be the efflux of protons, organic acids (oxalate and gluconate) and siderophores. Phosphatases could be of utmost importance in the mineralization of the organic P. The production of siderophores and phosphatases by of B.cepacia CQ18 could thus be crucial for not only the antagonism against plant pathogens but also the mobilization of soil sparingly available P. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Burkholderia cepacia CQ18 could be potentially developed into a biofertilizer.

In vitro antioxidant effect of curcumin on human sperm quality in leucocytospermia.

Decreased sperm quality was caused by oxidative stress in semen from patients with leucocytospermia. Curcumin is a traditional Chinese herbal monomer extracted from Zingiberaceae turmeric and zedoary turmeric and has antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects and specific molecular mechanisms of curcumin on sperm quality in patients diagnosed with leucocytospermia. Forty cases of semen samples were collected from patients with leucocytospermia and 35 cases from normal fertile male. Computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) was used to detect sperm motility after curcumin incubation. ELISA was used to measure the changes in H2 O2 , sperm mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), cytochrome B (Cyt B) and NADH dehydrogenase 5 (NADH5) contents before and after curcumin treatment. The results indicate that curcumin can significantly improve sperm motility from the patients with leucocytospermia. After curcumin treatment, the level of the H2 O2 was significantly decreased in the supernatant of curcumin-incubated spermatozoa from leucocytospermic patients. The content of mtDNA was significantly decreased, while the content of Cyt B and NADH5 in spermatozoa was significantly increased. In conclusion, curcumin can significantly improve sperm motility of leucocytospermic patients, against the oxidative damage induced by H2 O2 . Therefore, curcumin may play a role in mitigating the H2 O2 -induced injury to sperm.

Optimization of CEC for simultaneous determination of eleven nucleosides and nucleobases in Cordyceps using central composite design.

A CEC method is described for the simultaneous determination of 11 nucleosides and nucleobases including cytosine, uracil, uridine, hypoxanthine, 2'-deoxyuridine, inosine, guanosine, thymidine, adenine, adenosine, and cordycepin in Cordyceps using 5-chlorocytosine arabinoside as internal standard (IS). Chemometric optimization based on central composite design was employed to find the optimum conditions. The factors for optimization were defined as three parameters: voltage, pH, and concentration of ACN as organic modifier. The resolution (R(s)) between inosine and guanosine, as well as the entire run time were employed to evaluate the response function. A running buffer composed of 4 mM ammonium acetate and 2 mM triethylamine (TEA) adjusted to pH 5.3 using acetic acid, and containing 3% ACN as modifier, with gradient voltage (0-4 min: 20 kV, 4-12 min: linear gradient from 20 to 30 kV; 12-16 min: 30 kV) were found to be the optimum conditions for the separation. Separation of the 11 investigated compounds and 5-chlorocytosine arabinoside was achieved within 16 min. The contents of the 11 compounds in natural and cultured Cordyceps sinensis, and cultured Cordyceps militaris were also compared. The result showed that CEC is an efficient method for analysis of nucleosides and nucleobases in Cordyceps, which is helpful to control the quality of this valued traditional Chinese medicine.

Simultaneous determination of anthraquinones in Rhubarb by pressurized liquid extraction and capillary zone electrophoresis.

Rhubarb, a well-known Chinese herbal medicine, is also used in Europe and other places of the world. Anthraquinones derivatives are thought to be the major active components. A pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separation were developed for simultaneous determination of five anthraquinones including aloe-emodin, emodin, chrysophanol, physcion, and rhein in Rhubarb. The effects of the experimental variables on PLE and CZE have been optimized. The optimum conditions of PLE were: solvent, methanol; temperature, 140 degrees C; particle size, 0.13-0.2 mm; static extraction time, 5 min; pressure, 1500 psi; and one extraction. The best separation of the five anthraquinones could be obtained using 50 mM borate buffer (pH 8.2) containing 25% isopropyl alcohol and 25% acetontrile as modifier, while the separation voltage was 25 kV and the temperature was at 20 degrees C. The method developed is accurate, simple, and reproducible, and could be used for quality control of Rhubarb and its medical preparations.