Genome-wide identification and characterization of the chemosensory relative protein genes in Rhus gall aphid Schlechtendalia chinensis.

BACKGROUND: The Rhus gall aphid Schlechtendalia chinensis specially uses the only species Rhus chinensis and certain moss species (Mniaceae) as its primary host plant and secondary host plants, respectively. Rhus galls are formed on the primary host by the sucking of aphids, and used in traditional medicine as well as other various areas due to their high tannin contents. Chemoreception is critical for insect behaviors such as host searching, location and identification of mates and reproductive behavior. The process of chemoreception is mediated by a series of protein gene families, including odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), chemosensory proteins (CSPs), olfactory receptors (ORs), gustatory receptors (GRs), ionotropic receptors (IRs), and sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). However, there have been no reports on the analysis of molecular components related to the chemoreception system of S. chinensis at the genome level. RESULTS: We examined the genes of eight OBPs, nine CSPs, 24 ORs, 16 GRs, 22 IRs, and five SNMPs in the S. chinensis genome using homological searches, and these chemosensory genes appeared mostly on chromosome 1. Phylogenetic and gene number analysis revealed that the gene families, e.g., ORs, GRs, CSPs and SNMPs in S. chinensis, have experienced major contractions by comparing to Myzus persicae, while the two gene families OBPs and IRs had slight expansion. The current results might be related to the broader host range of M. persicae versus the specialization of S. chinensis on only a host plant. There were 28 gene pairs between genomes of S. chinensis and Acyrthosiphon pisum in the chemoreceptor gene families by collinear comparison. Ka/Ks ratios (< 1) indicated that the genes of S. chinensis were mainly affected by purification selection during evolution. We also found the lower number and expression level of chemoreception genes in S. chinensis than in other 11 aphid species, such as ORs, GRs and IRs, which play an important role in host search. CONCLUSION: Our study firstly identified the genes of the different chemosensory protein gene families in the S. chinensis genome, and analyzed their general features and expression profile, demonstrating the importance of chemoreception in the aphid and providing new information for further functional research.

Inhibition of AGEs formation, antioxidative, and cytoprotective activity of Sumac (Rhus typhina L.) tannin under hyperglycemia: molecular and cellular study.

It is well known that accumulation of advanced glycation ends products (AGEs) lead to various diseases such as diabetes and diabetic complications. In this study we showed that hydrolysable tannin from Sumac (Rhus typhina L.)-3,6-bis-O-di-O-galloyl-1,2,4-tri-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucose (C55H40O34) inhibited generation of glycation markers in bovine serum albumin such as AGEs, dityrosine, N'-formylkynurenine and kynurenine under high glucose treatment. This effect was accompanied by stabilization of the protein structure, as was shown using ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy and fluorescence methods. C55H40O34 exhibited also a neuroprotective effect in high glucose-exposed Neuro2A cells suppressing ROS formation and expression of phospho NF-κß and iNOS. At the same time C55H40O34 increased expression of heme oxygenase-1 and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase and mitochondrial complex I and V activities. Results from this study demonstrates a potent antiglycation activity of C55H40O34 in vitro and indicates its possible therapeutic application in glycation related diseases.

The Effects of a Toothpaste Containing the Active Ingredients of Galla chinensis and Sodium Fluoride on Dentin Hypersensitivity and Sealing of Dentinal Tubules: An In Vitro Study and an Eight-Week Clinical Study in 98 Patients.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to evaluate the desensitizing effect of toothpaste containing the active ingredients of an extract of Galla chinensis, both in vitro and in patients with dentin hypersensitivity. MATERIAL AND METHODS Ninety-eight patients with dentin hypersensitivity were divided into two study groups and given toothpaste containing either the active ingredients of Galla chinensis extract and sodium fluoride, or a control toothpaste containing only sodium fluoride. Assessments included the tactile stimulation test and the Schiff cold air sensitivity scale, which were conducted at the baseline examination and after 4 and 8 weeks of dental brushing. Twenty-five intact human premolars from 24 patients with dentin hypersensitivity were prepared and randomly divided into four groups, the untreated baseline group, the study group, the positive control group, and the control group. After brushing with different toothpaste for 7 days, the effects on dentinal tubule sealing in each group was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the degree of dentinal tubule plugging and diameter of the open dentinal tubules were calculated. RESULTS Toothpaste containing the active ingredients of Galla chinensis and sodium fluoride significantly reduced the degree of dentin hypersensitivity when compared with toothpaste containing sodium fluoride alone after 4 weeks and 8 weeks of use. Toothpaste containing the active ingredients of Galla chinensis significantly reduced the number and diameter of the open dentinal tubules. CONCLUSIONS Toothpaste that contained the active ingredients of Galla chinensis and sodium fluoride reduced the symptoms of dentin hypersensitivity by sealing the dentinal tubules.

Phytochemical Diversity and Pharmacological Properties of Rhus coriaria.

Rhus coriaria L. (Anacardiaceae), sumac, is a common condiment, appetizer and souring agent in the Mediterranean region that has a long history in traditional medicine. R. coriaria has been prescribed for the treatment of many ailments including diarrhea, ulcer, hemorrhoids, hemorrhage, wound healing, hematemesis, and eye ailments like ophthalmia and conjunctivitis. The plant is also used as diuresis, antimicrobial, abortifacient and as a stomach tonic. Sumac is known to be rich in different classes of phytochemicals including tannins, polyphenols, flavonoids, organic acids and essential oils and continues to be a hot topic for extensive research work designed for revealing its phytochemical constituents and evaluating its bioactive properties. This review summarizes the recent phytochemical and diverse bioactivity studies on R. coriaria, especially those concerned with antitumor, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory studies.

Accumulation of uranium and heavy metals in the soil-plant system in Xiazhuang uranium ore field, Guangdong Province, China.

Plants that have grown for many years in the special environmental conditions prevailing in mining areas are naturally screened and show strong capacity to adapt to their environment. The present study investigated the enrichment characteristics of U and other heavy metals (As, Cu, Pb, Mn, Mo, Zn, Cd, Co, and Ni) in the soil-plant system in Xiazhuang uranium mine. Four dominant plants (Castanopsis carlesii, Rhus chinensis, Liriodendron chinense, and Sapium discolor) and soil samples were collected from the mined areas, unmined areas, and background areas away from the ore field. U, As, Cu, Pb, Mn, Mo, Zn, Cd, Co, and Ni concentrations were analyzed by ICP-MS. The results demonstrate that (1) The highest concentrations of U (4.1-206.9 mg/kg) and Pb (43.3-126.0 mg/kg) with the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) greater than 1 show that they are the main soil pollutants in the research area. (2) The biological accumulation coefficient (LBAC) values for Cd, Mn, and Cu are greater than zero in S. discolor, L. chinense, and C. carlesii and these three plants indicate that they can be used for remediation of the soil in the ore field. (3) R. chinensis inhibits the accumulation of heavy metals and shows sensitive pigment responses to the accumulation of U in the leaves. L. chinense has the strongest enrichment effect on heavy metals but exhibits weak biochemical responses under U stress. C. carlesii demonstrates strong adaptation to U and can maintain healthy pigment characteristics in case of high U enrichment. (4) S. discolor, L. chinense, C. carlesii and R. chinensis have strong tolerance to U toxicity and different biochemical responses.

Bioaccumulation and detoxification mechanisms for lead uptake identified in Rhus chinensis Mill. seedlings.

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to assay the bioaccumulation and tolerance characteristics of Rhus chinensis Mill. to lead (Pb). The effects of exposing R. chinensis Mill seedlings to increasing Pb concentrations (0, 250, 500, 100mgkg-1) in the soil were assessed by measuring Pb accumulation, subcellular distribution, ultrastructure, photosynthetic characteristics, antioxidative enzyme activity, malondialdehyde content, and phytochelatin content. The majority of Pb taken up by R. chinensis Mill was associated with the cell wall fraction in the roots, where the absorption of Ca increased to maintain cell wall stability, and Pb deposits were found in the intercellular space or in the cell wall structures. In leaves, Pb was primarily stored in the cell wall, while it was compartmentalized into the vacuolar structures in the stem. Pb concentrations adversely affected the morphology of Rhus chinensis Mill cellular substructures. Furthermore, increased Peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activity was observed in plants grown in Pb-amended soil, and this may have led to reduced ROS to maintain the function of the membrane. Changes in phytochelatin levels (PCs) that were observed in Pb treated plants suggest that PCs formed complexes with Pb in the cytoplasm to reduce Pb2+ toxicity in the metabolically active cellular compartment. This mechanism may allow for the plant to accumulate higher concentrations of toxic Pb and survive for a longer period of time. Our study provides a better understanding of how Rhus chinensis Mill detoxifies Pb.

Evolution of Volatile Emission in Rhus coriaria Organs During Different Stages of Growth and Evaluation of the Essential Oil Composition.

Rhus coriaria, also known as Sumac, has been traditionally used in many countries as spice, condiment, dying agent, and medicinal herb. The chemical composition of essential oils (EOs) and the volatile emissions from different organs of this species collected in Sicily (Italy) were analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were the most abundant class in the volatile emissions with ß-caryophyllene and α-pinene were the main constituents in the majority of the examined samples. The EO composition was characterized by high amount of monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons together with diterpenes. The main compounds in the EO obtained from the leaves and both stages of fruit maturation were cembrene and ß-caryophyllene, while α-pinene and tridecanoic acid were the key compounds in the flower EO. All the data were submitted to multivariate statistical analysis showing many differences among the different plant parts and their ontogenetic stages.

Two-Electron Reduction versus One-Electron Oxidation of the Type 3 Pair in the Multicopper Oxidases.

Multicopper oxidases (MCOs) utilize an electron shuttling Type 1 Cu (T1) site in conjunction with a mononuclear Type 2 (T2) and a binuclear Type 3 (T3) site, arranged in a trinuclear copper cluster (TNC), to reduce O2 to H2O. Reduction of O2 occurs with limited overpotential indicating that all the coppers in the active site can be reduced via high-potential electron donors. Two forms of the resting enzyme have been observed in MCOs: the alternative resting form (AR), where only one of the three TNC Cu's is oxidized, and the resting oxidized form (RO), where all three TNC Cu's are oxidized. In contrast to the AR form, we show that in the RO form of a high-potential MCO, the binuclear T3 Cu(II) site can be reduced via the 700 mV T1 Cu. Systematic spectroscopic evaluation reveals that this proceeds by a two-electron process, where delivery of the first electron, forming a high energy, metastable half reduced T3 state, is followed by the rapid delivery of a second energetically favorable electron to fully reduce the T3 site. Alternatively, when this fully reduced binuclear T3 site is oxidized via the T1 Cu, a different thermodynamically favored half oxidized T3 form, i.e., the AR site, is generated. This behavior is evaluated by DFT calculations, which reveal that the protein backbone plays a significant role in controlling the environment of the active site coppers. This allows for the formation of the metastable, half reduced state and thus the complete reductive activation of the enzyme for catalysis.

Revealing the effects and mechanisms of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on manganese uptake and detoxification in Rhus chinensis.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can alleviate heavy metal phytotoxicity and promote plant growth, while the underlying mechanisms of AMF symbiosis with host plants under manganese (Mn) stress remain elusive. A pot experiment was carried out to investigate the plant growth, micro-structure, Mn accumulation, subcellular distribution, chemical forms, and physiological and biochemical response of Rhus chinensis inoculated with Funneliformis mosseae (FM) under different Mn treatments. The results showed that compared with plants without FM, FM-associated plants exhibited higher growth status, photosynthetic pigments, and photosynthesis under Mn stress. FM-associated plants were able to maintain greater integrity in mesophyll structure, higher thickness of leaf, upper epidermis, and lower epidermis under Mn treatment, and promote leaf growth. Mn accumulation in leaves (258.67-2230.50 mg kg-1), stems (132.67-1160.00 mg kg-1), and roots (360.92-2446.04 mg kg-1) of the seedlings inoculated with FM was higher than non-inoculated ones. FM-associated plants exhibited higher osmotic regulating substances and antioxidant enzymes' activities under Mn exposure, suggesting lower Mn toxicity in FM inoculated seedlings, despite the augment in Mn accumulation. After FM inoculation, Mn concentration (151.04-1211.32 mg kg-1) and percentage (64.41-78.55%) enhanced in the cell wall, whilst the transport of Mn to aerial plant organs decreased. Furthermore, FM symbiosis favored the conversion of Mn from high toxic forms (2.17-15.68% in FEthanol, 11.37-24.52% in Fdeionized water) to inactive forms (28.30-38.15% in FNaCl, 18.07-28.59% in FHAc, 4.41-17.99% in FHCl) with low phytotoxicity. Our study offers a theoretical basis for remediation of the FM- R. chinensis symbiotic system in Mn-contaminated environments.

Assessment of In Vitro Airway Smooth Muscle Relaxant Activity of Rhus coriaria L. Fruit Ethanolic Extract and Its Possible Mechanisms.

Rhus coriaria L. (Anacardiaceae), also known as Sumac, is commonly used as a spice, flavoring agent, and as a traditional medicinal herb. This includes also the traditional use for treating asthma, catarrh, and common colds. The accumulating evidence supports its cardioprotective, antidiabetic, neuroprotective, anticancer, gastroprotective, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, and respiratory effects. However, there are no previous studies that have shown its effects and mechanism in the airway smooth muscle tone, and therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the in vitro pharmacological action of R. coriaria L. extract (RCE) on the rat isolated tracheal and bronchial preparations by exploring its relaxant activity and mechanism of action. The direct relaxant effect of RCE (0.1-0.7 mg/mL) was tested in the rat bronchi and trachea rings precontracted by carbachol (CCh). In addition, the pretreatment with RCE (1 mg/mL) was tested on the bronchial and tracheal reactivity induced by CCh, potassium chloride (KCl), or CaCl2. In addition, the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin and the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), respectively, were used for exploring the mechanisms of RCE-induced relaxation and reduction of reactivity. Our findings demonstrated that RCE induced a concentration-dependent relaxation and a significant reduction of reactivity, significantly reduced with either indomethacin or L-NAME. In addition, RCE decreased the responsiveness to KCl and affected the extracellular Ca2+-induced contraction in the tissues with added CCh or KCl in Ca2+-free Krebs-Henseleit solution. In summary, we have shown that RCE displayed relaxant activities in the in vitro airway smooth muscles, and the possible mechanisms seems to involve the prostaglandin, nitric oxide, and Ca2+ pathways. Taken together, our findings indicate the potential role of RCE in the treatment of respiratory diseases with limited airflow, or obstructive respiratory diseases, and could justify its traditional use in the respiratory diseases.

Relative quantification of phenolic compounds in exocarp-mesocarp and endocarp of sumac (Toxicodendron vernicifluum) combined with transcriptome analysis provides insights into glycosylation of flavonoids and biflavonoid biosynthesis.

The pericarp of fruit can be differentiated into endocarp, mesocarp, and exocarp. To explore the differences in gene expression and metabolites in different tissues of the pericarp, the fruits of sumac (Toxicodendron vernicifluum) were separated into endocarp and mesocarp-exocarp. The metabolites and transcriptome of exocarp-mesocarp and endocarp of Toxicodendron vernicifluum were analyzed by HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS and RNA sequencing, respectively. A total of 52 phenolic compounds were identified, including 3 phenylpropane derivatives, 10 urushiol compounds and 39 flavonoids. The exocarp-mesocarp contained more urushiol compounds and flavonoid glycosides while the endocarp contained more biflavonoids, such as rhusflavone and dihydromorelloflavone. The characteristic component of endocarp was rhusflavone and the characteristic component of exocarp-mesocarp was urushiol (triene). Most of the genes involved in flavonoid synthesis pathway were upregulated in endocarp compared with exocarp-mesocarp and positively correlated with the content of flavonoids. The candidate genes related to the synthesis of components of flavonoid glycosides and biflavonoids were screened. Metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses provide new insights into the synthesis and distribution of flavonoid glycosides and biflavonoids in the fruits of Toxicodendron vernicifluum.

Rhus verniciflua stokes against advanced cancer: a perspective from the Korean Integrative Cancer Center.

Active anticancer molecules have been searched from natural products; many drugs were developed from either natural products or their derivatives following the conventional pharmaceutical paradigm of drug discovery. However, the advances in the knowledge of cancer biology have led to personalized medicine using molecular-targeted agents which create new paradigm. Clinical benefit is dependent on individual biomarker and overall survival is prolonged through cytostatic rather than cytotoxic effects to cancer cell. Therefore, a different approach is needed from the single lead compound screening model based on cytotoxicity. In our experience, the Rhus verniciflua stoke (RVS) extract traditionally used for cancer treatment is beneficial to some advanced cancer patients though it is herbal extract not single compound, and low cytotoxic in vitro. The standardized RVS extract's action mechanisms as well as clinical outcomes are reviewed here. We hope that these preliminary results would stimulate different investigation in natural products from conventional chemicals.

Effect of Rhus coriaria L. methanolic fruit extract on wound healing in diabetic and non-diabetic rats.

AIM: This study assessed the effects of topical application of R. coriaria extract on the rate of wound closure. The rate of wound contraction was used to assess the wound healing efficacy of the R. coriaria fruit methanolic extract. METHODS: Using excision and burn model of wound repair in diabetic male Wistar rats. Also, hydroxyproline, collagen content, and proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines levels were determined in this study. RESULTS: During the early wound healing phase, interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels were found to be decreased by R. coriaria treatment and increased the level of interleukin 10 (IL-10). Increased wound contraction augmented with hydroxyproline and collagen content, supporting the early wound healing exhibited by R. coriaria. The epithelialization, neovascularization and enhanced hydroxyproline and collagen expression were strongly associated with the healing pattern. CONCLUSION: This study indicating that R. coriaria methanolic fruit extract has a potent wound healing capacity. And may be effective in the topical therapy of wound healing.

Detoxification Gene Families at the Genome-Wide Level of Rhus Gall Aphid Schlechtendalia chinensis.

The Rhus gall aphid Schlechtendalia chinensis uses the species Rhus chinensis as its primary host plant, on which galls are produced. The galls have medicinal properties and can be used in various situations due to their high tannin content. Detoxification enzymes play significant roles in the insect lifecycle. In this study, we focused on five detoxification gene families, i.e., glutathione-S-transferase (GST), ABC transporter (ABC), Carboxylesterase (CCE), cyto-chrome P450 (CYP), and UDP-glycosyltransferase (UDP), and manually annotated 144 detoxification genes of S. chinensis using genome-wide techniques. The detoxification genes appeared mostly on chromosome 1, where a total of two pair genes were identified to show tandem duplications. There were 38 gene pairs between genomes of S. chinensis and Acyrthosiphon pisum in the detoxification gene families by collinear comparison. Ka/Ks ratios showed that detoxification genes of S. chinensis were mainly affected by purification selection during evolution. The gene expression numbers of P450s and ABCs by transcriptome sequencing data were greater, while gene expression of CCEs was the highest, suggesting they might be important in the detoxification process. Our study has firstly identified the genes of the different detoxification gene families in the S. chinensis genome, and then analyzed their general features and expression, demonstrating the importance of the detoxification genes in the aphid and providing new information for further research.

Biflavonoids from Rhus succedanea as probable natural inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2: a molecular docking and molecular dynamics approach.

The recent outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has quickly become a worldwide pandemic and generated panic threats for both the human population and the global economy. The unavailability of effective vaccines or drugs has enforced researchers to hunt for a potential drug to combat this virus. Plant-derived phytocompounds are of applicable interest in the search for novel drugs. Bioflavonoids from Rhus succedanea are already reported to exert antiviral activity against RNA viruses. SARS-CoV-2 Mpro protease plays a vital role in viral replication and therefore can be considered as a promising target for drug development. A computational approach has been employed to search for promising potent bioflavonoids from Rhus succedanea against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro protease. Binding affinities and binding modes between the biflavonoids and Mpro enzyme suggest that all six biflavonoids exhibit possible interaction with the Mpro catalytic site (-19.47 to -27.04 kcal/mol). However, Amentoflavone (-27.04 kcal/mol) and Agathisflavone (-25.87 kcal/mol) interact strongly with the catalytic residues. Molecular dynamic simulations (100 ns) further revealed that these two biflavonoids complexes with the Mpro enzyme are highly stable and are of less conformational fluctuations. Also, the hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface mapping on the Mpro structure as well as biflavonoids were utilized for the further lead optimization process. Altogether, our findings showed that these natural biflavonoids can be utilized as promising SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors and thus, the computational approach provides an initial footstep towards experimental studies in in vitro and in vivo, which is necessary for the therapeutic development of novel and safe drugs to control SARS-CoV-2. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. SarmaResearch highlightsRhus succedanea biflavonoids have antiviral activity.The molecular interactions and molecular dynamics displayed that all six biflavonoids bound with a good affinity to the same catalytic site of Mpro.The compound Amentoflavone has a strong binding affinity (-27.0441 kcal/mol) towards Mpro.The binding site properties of SARS-CoV-2-Mpro can be utilized in a novel discovery and lead optimization of the SARS-CoV-2-Mpro inhibitor.

Invasive species allelopathy decreases plant growth and soil microbial activity.

According to the 'novel weapons hypothesis', invasive success depends on harmful plant biochemicals, including allelopathic antimicrobial roots exudate that directly inhibit plant growth and soil microbial activity. However, the combination of direct and soil-mediated impacts of invasive plants via allelopathy remains poorly understood. Here, we addressed the allelopathic effects of an invasive plant species (Rhus typhina) on a cultivated plant (Tagetes erecta), soil properties and microbial communities. We grew T. erecta on soil samples at increasing concentrations of R. typhina root extracts and measured both plant growth and soil physiological profile with community-level physiological profiles (CLPP) using Biolog Eco-plates incubation. We found that R. typhina root extracts inhibit both plant growth and soil microbial activity. Plant height, Root length, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN) and AWCD were significantly decreased with increasing root extract concentration, and plant above-ground biomass (AGB), below-ground biomass (BGB) and total biomass (TB) were significantly decreased at 10 mg·mL-1 of root extracts. In particular, root extracts significantly reduced the carbon source utilization of carbohydrates, carboxylic acids and polymers, but enhanced phenolic acid. Redundancy analysis shows that soil pH, TN, SOC and EC were the major driving factors of soil microbial activity. Our results indicate that strong allelopathic impact of root extracts on plant growth and soil microbial activity by mimicking roots exudate, providing novel insights into the role of plant-soil microbe interactions in mediating invasion success.

Reduction of expression of IL-18, IL-1ß genes in the articular joint by sumac fruit extract (Rhus coriaria L.).

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis is the most common malignant disease in the world. The disease is caused by changes in the metabolism, the structure and function of multiple joints, and joint tissues. Sumac is one of the indigenous plants of Iran and has traditionally been used as a spice in Iran. The aim of this study was to investigate the reduction of expression of IL-18, IL-1ß genes in the articular joint by sumac fruit extract (Rhus coriaria L.). METHODS: The alcoholic extract of sumac fruit (E.E.R.C.L) was prepared from the Genetic Reserve Center. Bleeding was used to provide synoviocyte cells from the joint and fluid of the anatomical metacarpal limb of the 8-month-old Holstein healthy calf without any signs of inflammation. Using cell-hemocytometer count, their viability was evaluated by trypan blue and after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) proliferation and injection to enhance the level of cytokines. After isolating the RNA and preparing the cDNA, RT-PCR and PCR were performed and then, using the real-time PCR method, the expression of the desired genes was investigated. RESULTS: In this study, after the expression of IL-18 cytokines, IL-1ß increased to 100%, and following the treatment with alcoholic extract, the reduction of expression of these cytokines was 33.61% and 29.01%, respectively. The results of anti-inflammatory effects showed that the alcoholic extract of sumac reduced the IL-1ß, IL-18 expression in LPS-stimulated cells. CONCLUSION: Sumac fruit extract can be an effective medication for reducing pain.

Chitosan/gallnut tannins composite fiber with improved tensile, antibacterial and fluorescence properties.

Natural extracts gallnut tannins (GTs) were used as functional components to prepare chitosan/gallnut tannins (CS/GTs) composite fiber by blended solution spinning. Chitosan fiber has great potential to be used as absorbent suture and dressing due to its good biocompatibility. However, the weak mechanical properties limited its application. Chitosan and GTs were blended in aqueous solution of acetic acid to spin the composite fiber. The results indicated that CS/GTs fiber can be easily prepared due to the appropriate rheology characteristics for blended solution. Compared with pure chitosan fiber, CS/GTs fiber with 10% GTs showed lower hydrophilicity and higher dry, wet breaking strength by more than 40% due to ionic cross-linking between chitosan and GTs. The bacterial reduction to Staphylococcus aureus increased from 49.0 to 99.7% and about double green and red fluorescent intensity were observed for CS/GTs fiber. GTs have great potentiality in improving the properties of chitosan fiber.

Intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis due to a hemolytic toxin from Vibrio vulnificus and protection by a 36 kDa glycoprotein from Rhus verniciflua Stokes.

Rhus verniciflua stokes (RVS) has been used as a functional food to cure inflammatory diseases in Korea. In the present study, we carry out an investigation of the cellular mechanism of a 36 kDa glycoprotein isolated from RVS fruit (RVS glycoprotein) during the apoptosis of human gastrointestinal epithelial HCT116 cells induced by the hemolytic toxin (VvhA) produced by V. vulnificus. Recombinant protein (r) VvhA produced by V. vulnificus stimulated apoptosis by activating the phosphorylation of protein kinase C (PKC) through the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, RVS glycoprotein significantly inhibited the level of ROS production and PKC activation in rVvhA-stimulated HCT116 cells. Interestingly, we found that RVS glycoprotein has inhibitory effects on the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), which are responsible for the expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 in HCT116 cells treated with rVvhA, respectively. On the basis of these results, we suggest that RVS glycoprotein blocks mitochondrial apoptotic cell death induced by rVvhA via the inhibition of ROS-mediated signaling events in HCT116 cells.

Rhus javanica var. chinensis as a new plant origin of propolis from Okayama, Japan.

To directly identify the plant origin of propolis from Takebe-cho (Okayama, Japan), we observed the honeybee behavior. Honeybees scraped sap from the tree, Rhus javanica var. chinensis. We compared the constituents and radical-scavenging activity of this sap and propolis. Their chemical constituents and radical-scavenging activity were comparable. This indicates directly that the plant origin of this propolis is R. javanica var. chinensis.