Effect of boiling and drying process on chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Chaenomeles speciosa.

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of fresh and boiled Chaenomeles speciosa (CS) slices dried by different drying methods were determined. Data were analyzed by principle component analysis and cluster analysis. All dried boiled CS from dried fresh CS slices form main cluster. The results also demonstrated that both drying methods, freeze drying and hot air drying at 60 °C had good potential in the industrial drying of fresh and boiled CS. Fresh CS dried by hot air drying at 60 °C was more suitable for the industrial production.

[Studies on genetic relationship of Dioscorea].

Based on the results of the morphologic studies on genus Dioscorea, the paper summarized the entire chemical constituent that isolated from this genus and analyzed it with the methods of chemotaxonomy. The rules of the chemical constituent and pharmacodynamic effects were analyzed. Seventeen species which belong to Sect. Stenophora Uline of Dioscorea contain steroidal sapogenin. Other species with different main components such as polysaccharide and tannin have have different effects. This chemotaxonomic view point will conduce to establish a phylogeny of the genus Dioscorea.

Effects of the recovery period after particulate matter pollution events on the dust retention capacity and physiological characteristics of Nerium oleander.

Plants are known for their significant dust retention capacity and are widely used to alleviate atmospheric pollution. Urban green plants are exposed to periodic particulate matter pollution stress, and the time intervals between periods of pollution exposure are often inconsistent. The impact of stress memory and pollution intervals on plant dust retention capacity and physiological characteristics during periodic stress is not yet clear. In this study, the common urban landscaping species Nerium oleander L. was selected as the test plant, and stable isotope (15NH4Cl) tracing technology and aerosol generators were used to simulate periodic PM2.5 pollution. This study included two particulate pollution periods (each lasting 14 days) and one recovery period with three different durations (7, 14, and 21 days). The results indicated that periodic particulate matter pollution-induced stress decreased the dust retention capacity of N. oleander leaf surfaces, but particle adsorption to the wax layer was more stable. As the duration of the recovery period increased, leaf particle absorption, which accounted for the greatest proportion of total dust retention, increased, indicating that leaves are the primary organ for dust retention in Nerium oleander L. Root absorption also increased with increasing recovery periods. Prior pollution stress increased oleander physiological and morphological responses, and the plant's air pollution tolerance significantly improved after a recovery period of >14 days.

Influence of exposure history on the particle retention capacity and physiological responses of Euonymus japonicus Thunb. var. aurea-marginatus Hort.

Green plants in urban environments experience cyclical particulate matter stress. And this history of exhaust exposure may generate stress memory in plants, which may alter their subsequent response. Studies combining urban pollution characteristics and stress memory are limited. Therefore, we selected E. japonicus var. aurea-marginatus, a common urban greening tree species in the Yangtze River Delta, and conducted an experiment in three periods: the initial pollution period (S1: 28 days), the recovery period (R: 14 days) and the secondary pollution period (S2: 28 days). The experimental design consisted of an elevated pollution treatment (173 µg•cm-3) and an ambient control (34 µg•cm-3) with three replicates. In S2, the net total particle retention and saturated particle retention decreased by 11.5% and 19.3%, respectively, while PM10 and PM2.5 did not change significantly. E. japonicus var. aurea-marginatus exhibited recovery of chlorophyll levels, slower degradation of carotenoid, faster accumulation of ASA, lower accumulation of MDA, reduced activity of SOD under the second pollution period, and the period had a significant effect on the physiological indicators. Collectively, the effect of autoexhaust exposure history on the particle retention capacity of selected plant varied across particle sizes, and stress memory may confer plant resistance to recurrent exhaust pollution via combined regulations of physiological responses. Fine particles which pose a great risk to human health arise predominantly from vehicular traffic and energy production. So, E. japonicus tends to play a stabilising role in particle retention in industrial, traffic and residential areas.

Central-collapsed structure of CoFeAl layered double hydroxides and its photocatalytic performance.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) has been regarded as one of the most potential photocatalysts for degradation of the pollutants, due to the tunable elements in the laminates, high surface area and exposed active sites. Developing a photocatalyst with a visible light activity and fast charge separation efficiency is a main research focus. In this work, a central-collapsed CoFeAl-LDHs was formed via the selective etching Al3+ in the laminates, which relied on the function of OH- produced by urea hydrolysis. The Central-collapsed structure of CoFeAl-LDHs exhibited enhanced adsorption activity and photocatalytic efficiency. The results show that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir model are suitable for adsorption behavior. This etching cavity is beneficial to the adsorption of MB and provides a better platform for the direct interaction between MB and CoFeAl-LDHs. The morphology and photoelectrochemical properties of the central-collapsed structure of LDHs were characterized and used to explore the relationship between the etching degree and photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic properties of all the samples under visible light irradiation were evaluated, and LDH-6 has the best photocatalytic activity. This work provides a novel approach for the fabrication of central-collapsed structure of layered double hydroxides photocatalysts to meet environmental and energy requirements.

[Seasonal Variation of Water-soluble Ions in PM2.5 in Xi'an].

To explore the seasonal variations and sources of water-soluble ions, PM2.5 samples were collected from 2017 to 2018. Water-soluble ions including SO42-, NO3-, Cl-, F-, Na+, Mg2+, NH4+, K+, and Ca2+ were determined via ion chromatography. Furthermore, the existing form of NH4+, nitrogen oxidation rate (NOR), sulfur oxidation rate (SOR), and [NO3-]/[SO42-] ratio were explored. The results showed that dust, coal combustion, biomass burning, and secondary aerosols were the dominant contributors to water-soluble ions. Ca2+, SO42-, NH4+, and NO3- were the main water-soluble ions in PM2.5 in Xi'an. Correlation analysis results showed that NH4+ could not completely neutralize SO42- in spring; unneutralized SO42- could be mainly combined with K+ and Ca2+. NH4+ mainly existed in the form of ① NH4HSO4 and (NH4)2SO4 in summer; ② NH4HSO4 and NH4NO3 in autumn; and ③ (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 in winter. The yearly mean values of SOR and NOR were 0.35 and 0.16, respectively, indicating a high secondary aerosol transformation rate during the study period. The [NO3-]/[SO42-] ratio showed Xi'an was mainly affected by stationary sources in spring and summer, while the contribution of mobile sources in autumn and winter was greater than stationary sources.

Effects of drying processes on starch-related physicochemical properties, bioactive components and antioxidant properties of yam flours.

The effects of five different drying processes, air drying (AD), sulphur fumigation drying (SFD), hot air drying (HAD), freeze drying (FD) and microwave drying (MWD) for yams in terms of starch-related properties and antioxidant activity were studied. From the results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), polarized optical microscopy (POM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), the MWD sample was found to contain gelatinized starch granules. The FD yam had more slow digestible (SDS) and resistant starches (RS) compared with those processed with other modern drying methods. The bioactive components and the reducing power of the dried yams, were lower than those of fresh yam. When five dried samples were compared by principal component analysis, the HAD and SFD samples were observed to have the highest comprehensive principal component values. Based on our results, HAD would be a better method for yam drying than the more traditional SFD.

Evaluation of protective effects of costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in mice based on multi-pathway regulation.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-ulcerogenic activity of costunolide (Co) and dehydrocostuslactone (De) on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in mice and to elucidate the potential mechanisms of the action involved. Mice were pretreated orally with Co (5 or 20 mg/kg), De (5 or 20 mg/kg) and omeprazole (OME, 20 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive days, followed by ulcer induction using absolute ethanol (0.2 mL/20 g body weight). Treatment with Co had a remarkable gastroprotection compared to the ethanol-ulcerated mice that significantly reduced the ulcerative lesion index (ULI) and histopathological damage. Daily intragastric administration of Co exerted a powerful anti-inflammatory activity as evidenced by the suppression of nuclear factor (NF)-κB, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, as well as increased interleukin (IL)-10. Also, pretreatment with Co effectively inhibited ethanol-induced malondialdehyde (MDA) overproduction, increased the depleted superoxide dismutase (SOD) and promoted gastric mucosa epithelial cell proliferation by up-regulating proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression. Similarly, De had a protective effect on ethanol-induced ulcer, which was dependent on the inhibition of inflammatory cytokines and MDA generation, but independent of IL-10, SOD and PCNA improvement. Conclusively, the results have clearly demonstrated the anti-ulcerogenic potential of Co and De on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer; nevertheless, the gastroprotective activity of Co was superior to De due to more multi-pathway regulation than De. These findings suggested that Co or De could be a new useful natural gastroprotective tool against gastric ulcer, which provided a scientific basis for the gastroprotection of sesquiterpene lactones.

Antihypertensive and cardioprotective effects of Cerebralcare granule® on spontaneously hypertensive rats from the perspective of the gaseous triumvirate NO-CO-H2S system.

Cerebralcare granule(®) (CG) has been reported to have hypotensive effect. However, several pathways involved in the mechanism of hypotension are still unclear. This study was designed to verify the antihypertensive effect of CG and to characterize its mechanism of action, especially from the perspective of gasotrasmmiter NO/cGMP, CO/HO and H2S/CSE systems. By using the widely used in vitro model of rat isolated thoracic aortic rings, the vasorelaxant effect of CG were studied. Furthermore, we assessed the chronic hypotensive effect of CG on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and further to explore the potential mechanisms of its antihypertensive activity. Data in the present study demonstrated that oral treatment with CG could induce a potent antihypertensive effect. CG could reduce the intima-media thickness (IMT) of thoracic aorta significantly and increase the serum NO and H2S levels. In addition, the present results indicated that CG played a critical protective role against pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy. CG not only inhibited the development of cardiac hypertrophy but also improved ventricular function. In vitro, the results showed that CG induced relaxation in rat aortic rings through an endothelium-dependent pathway mediated by NO/cGMP, CO/HO and H2S/CSE systems. Taken together, the present study demonstrated that CG could induce a potent antihypertensive effect that was partly due to the improvement of endothelial function. Also CG played a critical protective role against pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, CG could induce relaxation in rat aortic rings.

Chemical Composition and Bioactivities of Two Common Chaenomeles Fruits in China: Chaenomeles speciosa and Chaenomeles sinensis.

Contents of total flavonoids, total phenolics, total triterpenes, total condensed tannin and total saponins in peels, flesh and endocarps of Chaenomeles speciosa (CSP) and Chaenomeles sinensis (CSS) were determined by colorimetric method, while 5 phenolics (vanillic, gallic, chlorogenic, ferulic and p-coumaric acids), 2 triterpenes (oleanolic and ursolic acids), and 3 flavonoids (rutin, catechin and epicatechin) were identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and HPLC, and antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of them also were evaluated as well as their digestive characteristics. In the correlation analysis, total phenolics, vanillic acid, catechin, ursolic acid and oleanolic acid all contribute to DPPH(·) scavenge capacity, gallic acid contributes to total ferric reducing antioxidant power, while total triterpenes, total saponins, chlorogenic acid and ferullic acid contribute to α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. In the principal component analysis, endocarps of CSP and CSS both show better quality than their peels and flesh, respectively. In vitro digestion can increase contents of total flavonoids, total condensed tannin and total saponins, while contents of total phenolics and total triterpenes decreased greatly. Our study would contribute to the full use of discarded parts of the 2 Chaenomeles and be helpful to establish a good foundation for further research of CSP and CSS.

Role of effective composition on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, sedative-hypnotic capacities of 6 common edible Lilium varieties.

Nine Lilium samples (belong to 6 different cultivars with different maturity stage) were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed of total phenolics (TP), total flavonoids (TF), total saponins (TS), total carbohydrates (TC, polysaccharides), and soluble proteins contents (SP), and the monomeric components were quantified utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector (HPLC-PAD) associated with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Antioxidant activity (reducing power and DPPH radical scavenging activity), anti-inflammatory (xylene-induced mouse ear edema detumescent assay and carrageenan-induced mouse paw edema detumescent assay), and sedative-hypnotic capacities (sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep assay) were comparatively evaluated in mouse model. Additionally, correlation analysis and principal component analysis were carried out to detect clustering and elucidate relationships between components' concentrations and bioactivities to clarify the role of effective composition. Lilium bulbs in later maturity stage preliminary evidenced higher saponins content, and lower phenolic acids and flavonoids content. The result demonstrated that Lilium bulbs generally had distinct antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and sedative-hypnotic capacities. Varieties statistically differed (P < 0.05) in chemical composition and bioactivities. Lilium varieties of Dongbei and Lanzhou presented potent sedative-hypnotic effect and anti-inflammatory activity. The antioxidant capacity was related to the phenolic acids and flavonoids contents, the anti-inflammatory and sedative-hypnotic capacities were related to the saponins content. This is first study presenting comprehensive description of common edible Lilium bulbs' chemical compositions, sedative-hypnotic, and anti-inflammatory capacities grown in China. It would informatively benefit the genetic selection and cultivated optimization of Lilium varieties to improve nutritional quality, and promote Lilium bulbs as a therapeutic functional food worldwide.