Quantification and purification of procyanidin B1 from food byproducts.

The flavan-3-ols of 10 primarily plant food byproducts, including Muscat Hamburg grape seed, hawthorn sarcocarp, litchi pericarp, cocoa bean, peanut skin, lotus seedpod, Xinyang Maojian green tea, Cinnamomi cortex, Sargentodoxa cuneata stem, and Cyperus esculentus, leaves were analyzed. Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was used for the analysis. Cyperus esculentus leaves contained a high amount of procyanidin B1 (198.9 mg/100 g), second only to Muscat Hamburg grape seed (292.9 mg/100 g). Unlike grape seed that contained several procyanidin B isomers with very similar retention times, C. esculentus leaves contained primarily procyanidin B1 with few isomers. Procyanidin B1 was enriched in the ethyl acetate fraction of a 70% methanol extract of C. esculentus leaves and purified at 95% purity by two runs of open column chromatography. Direct chromatography of the plant extract on octadecylsilane and Sephadex LH20 open columns improved the yield of the resultant leaf procyanidin B1 (95% purity) to 0.21‰. The present research demonstrated that the leaves of C. esculentus, byproducts of tigernut, are ideal plant sources for isolating and providing high-purity procyanidin B1. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Procyanidin B1 has a broad range of health benefits. Cyperus esculentus is cultivated in many countries with nearly 6190 square hectares (hm2 ) in the Spanish Mediterranean region in 2020-2021 and over 16,700 hm2 in China in recent years, primarily for its tubers. The byproducts, the leaves of C. esculentus, contain high levels of procyanidin B1, with few isomers that interfere with its isolation and purification. Thus, the leaves of this plant provide a viable source for preparing high-purity procyanidin B1.

Effects of Trace Irrigation at Different Depths on Transcriptome Expression Pattern in Cotton (G. hirsutum L.) Leaves.

Drought is a limiting factor for cotton productivity and quality. Irrigation could increase cotton yield. This study is aimed at formulating a proper irrigation depth for cotton at China' Inner Mongolia and at investigating the molecular mechanism underlying the difference induced by irrigation. Transcriptomic analysis was carried out to reveal the global transcriptome profiles on the leaves of cotton seedlings (G. hirsutum L. cv. "Zhongmian 92") with trace irrigation tapes at 30 cm (D30) and 50 cm (D50) underground. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and clustered by functional enrichment analysis. The results showed that no significant differences were found in the lint percentage. The yields of unpinned and lint cotton were increased by the D30 regime but decreased by the D50 regime. Transcriptomic analysis showed that 4,549 nonoverlapped DEGs were identified by comparative analysis. Transcription factors, including bZIP, WARK, Myb, and NAC, were altered between D50 and D30. The D50 regime induced more DEGs compared with the D30 regime, which was associated with plant tolerance to abiotic stresses and drought. In conclusion, trace irrigation at 30 cm underground was suitable for cotton irrigation at China's Inner Mongolia, while the D50 irrigation regime influenced the cotton yield via drought stress in cotton plants.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci for Prunus mongolica (Rosaceae).

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Microsatellite primers were developed in Prunus mongolica (Rosaceae), a relict flora endemic in arid areas of the Asian interior, to investigate the genetic diversity, phylogeography, population structure, and history of the species. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-one microsatellite loci, including di-, tri-, and tetranucelotide repeats, were identified using transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatic screening. The number of alleles ranged from seven to 11 and the levels of observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.545 to 1.000 and 0.600 to 0.989, respectively. Most of the primers also amplified in a group of congeneric species (P. triloba, P. davidiana, P. persica, P. cerasifera, and P. serrulata). CONCLUSIONS: This set of microsatellite loci is useful for studying the genetic diversity of P. mongolica. In addition, they can also be used to investigate the population structure, phylogeography, and landscape genetic patterns of congeneric species.