A new chromone derivative from an endophytic Aspergillus sp. GXNU-B1.

A new chromone derivative, aspergione A (1), along with seven known metabolites, was isolated from a mangrove endophytic fungus, Aspergillus sp. GXNU-B1, which was collected from mangrove Acanthus ilicifolius L. Their structures and the absolute configuration of 1 were elucidated based on the analysis of HR-ESI-MS, NMR, and ECD calculation. Compounds 1-8 were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory effects on the production of nitricoxide (NO). Compounds 1 and 8 have potent inhibitory effects against NO production in activated macrophages with IC50 values of 38.26 and 44.30 µM, respectively.

Isolation and characterization of Burkholderia fungorum Gan-35 with the outstanding ammonia nitrogen-degrading ability from the tailings of rare-earth-element mines in southern Jiangxi, China.

The exploitation of rare-earth-element (REE) mines has resulted in severe ammonia nitrogen pollution and induced hazards to environments and human health. Screening microorganisms with the ammonia nitrogen-degrading ability provides a basis for bioremediation of ammonia nitrogen-polluted environments. In this study, a bacterium with the outstanding ammonia nitrogen-degrading capability was isolated from the tailings of REE mines in southern Jiangxi Province, China. This strain was identified as Burkholderia fungorum Gan-35 according to phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses. The optimal conditions for ammonia-nitrogen degradation by strain Gan-35 were determined as follows: pH value, 7.5; inoculum dose, 10%; incubation time, 44 h; temperature, 30 °C; and C/N ratio, 15:1. Strain Gan-35 degraded 68.6% of ammonia nitrogen under the optimized conditions. Nepeta cataria grew obviously better in the ammonia nitrogen-polluted soil with strain Gan-35 than that without inoculation, and the decrease in ammonia-nitrogen contents of the former was also more obvious than the latter. Besides, strain Gan-35 exhibited the tolerance to high salinities. In summary, strain Gan-35 harbors the ability of both ammonia-nitrogen degradation at high concentrations and promoting plant growth. This work has reported a Burkholderia strain with the ammonia nitrogen-degrading capability for the first time and is also the first study on the isolation of a bacterium with the ammonia nitrogen-degrading ability from the tailings of REE mines. The results are useful for developing an effective method for microbial remediation of the ammonia nitrogen-polluted tailings of REE mines.

[The expression and the significance of L-FABP and FATP4 in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of liver fatty acid binding protein(L-FABP) and fatty acid transport protein (FATP4) in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats. METHODS: The expression of L-FABP and FATP4 genes was examined in fatty liver rats by reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction amplification and Western blot methods. RESULTS: In the high fat diet group (F), mRNA and protein expression of L-FABP and FATP4 were increased at 2 weeks, and they increased remarkably at 12 weeks (P < 0.05; L-FABP mRNA F=124.9, protein expression F=92.6; FATP4 mRNA F=602.9, protein expression F=108.8). CONCLUSION: The high expression of L-FABP and FATP4 at the early stage is an adaptive reaction of the body, With the advanced expression of the L-FABP and FATP4, it can lead to a fatty acid disequilibrium and then result in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the rats.