Antiobese effects of novel saponins from edible seeds of Japanese horse chestnut (Aesculus turbinata BLUME) after treatment with wood ashes

Recently, we have identified novel saponins from edible seeds of Japanese horse chestnut ( Aesculus turbinata BLUME) after processing the natural seeds with wood ashes to remove bitterness. We attempted to determine anti-obesity effects of those saponins from edible seeds as well as natural seeds. The purified individual components of saponins from natural and edible seeds inhibited pancreatic lipase in vitro. The potency was in the order of escins > desacylescins > deacetylescins. Escins Ib and IIb as well as deacetylescins Ib and IIb with the angeloyl moiety were more potent than the corresponding Ia and IIa series with the tigloyl moiety. Moreover, in vivo anti-obesity effects of the saponin fractions were monitored for 8 weeks in mice fed high-fat diets. Saponin fractions from both seeds significantly attenuated the elevation in body weight, the mass of peritoneal adipose tissues, and plasma triacylglycerol, which was accompanied by higher contents of undigested fats in feces without changes in food intake, indicating the effective inhibition of fat digestion in vivo. Taken together, saponin fractions including desacylescins and deacetylescins from edible seeds are potentially useful for the development of nutraceutical foods with anti-obesity effects and more attenuated bitter taste.     

Changes in enzymatic and structural properties of grass carp fast skeletal myosin induced by the laboratory-conditioned thermal acclimation and seasonal acclimatization

ABSTRACT:   Myosins were prepared from fast skeletal muscles of grass carp thermally acclimated to 10, 20 and 30°C in the laboratory as well as from those seasonally acclimatized and collected in January (winter) 2003 and May (spring), August (summer) and November (autumn) 2002. The maximal initial velocities ( V _max) of actin-activated Mg²⁺-ATPase activity for myosins from the 10°C-acclimated and winter grass carp were 1.7–1.8-fold as high as those from the 30°C-acclimated and summer fish. The inactivation rate constant ( K _D) of Ca²⁺-ATPase for myosin from the 10°C-acclimated grass carp was three to fourfold higher than those for myosins from the fish acclimated to 20°C and 30°C, whereas myosin from winter grass carp was about sevenfold as high as that for myosin from summer fish. Myosins from spring and autumn fish showed K _D values comparable to those of the fish acclimated to 30°C and 10°C, respectively. In differential scanning calorimetry analysis, the transition temperature ( T _m) was observed near 38°C and 45–46°C with most myosins. However, the lowest T _m at 32–33°C was given as one of the major endotherms in myosins from the 10°C-acclimated, autumn and winter fish. These responses of grass carp to changed environmental temperatures were almost similar to those for common carp reported previously.     

First report of horn gall disease of Cinnamomum pseudopedunculatum caused by Laurobasidium hachijoense in the Bonin Islands,Japan

Journal of General Plant Pathology - In June 2017, deer-horn-like galls covered with a whitish, powdery fungal layer were found on the trunks of Cinnamomum pseudopedunculatum (Lauraceae) in...     

Algal growth in an irrigation canal and its effect on flow function

Paddy and Water Environment - In the A irrigation district in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, a rehabilitation project is being implemented due to the aging of the irrigation facilities;...     

Stomach Chitinase from Japanese Sardine Sardinops melanostictus: Purification,Characterization, and Molecular Cloning of Chitinase Isozymes with a Long Linker

Fish express two different chitinases, acidic fish chitinase-1 (AFCase-1) and acidic fish chitinase-2 (AFCase-2), in the stomach. AFCase-1 and AFCase-2 have different degradation patterns, as fish efficiently degrade chitin ingested as food. For a comparison with the enzymatic properties and the primary structures of chitinase isozymes obtained previously from the stomach of demersal fish, in this study, we purified chitinase isozymes from the stomach of Japanese sardine Sardinops melanostictus, a surface fish that feeds on plankton, characterized the properties of these isozymes, and cloned the cDNAs encoding chitinases. We also predicted 3D structure models using the primary structures of S. melanostictus stomach chitinases. Two chitinase isozymes, SmeChiA (45 kDa) and SmeChiB (56 kDa), were purified from the stomach of S. melanostictus. Moreover, two cDNAs, SmeChi-1 encoding SmeChiA, and SmeChi-2 encoding SmeChiB were cloned. The linker regions of the deduced amino acid sequences of SmeChi-1 and SmeChi-2 (SmeChi-1 and SmeChi-2) are the longest among the fish stomach chitinases. In the cleavage pattern groups toward short substrates and the phylogenetic tree analysis, SmeChi-1 and SmeChi-2 were classified into AFCase-1 and AFCase-2, respectively. SmeChi-1 and SmeChi-2 had catalytic domains that consisted of a TIM-barrel (β/α)₈–fold structure and a deep substrate-binding cleft. This is the first study showing the 3D structure models of fish stomach chitinases.     

Equine herpesvirus type 1 tegument protein VP22 is not essential for pathogenicity in a hamster model,but is required for efficient viral growth in cultured cells

VP22 is a major tegument protein of Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) that is a conserved protein among alphaherpesviruses. However, the roles of VP22 differ among each virus, and the roles of EHV-1 VP22 are still unclear. Here, we constructed an EHV-1 VP22 deletion mutant and a revertant virus to clarify the role of VP22. We found that EHV-1 VP22 was required for efficient viral growth in cultured cells, but not for virulence in a hamster model.     

Effect of atropine and pyridostigmine on growth hormone response to GH-releasing peptide-2 and GH-releasing hormone in swine

To investigate the effects of high and low somatostatinergic tone on GH-releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2) and GH-releasing hormone (GHRH)-induced growth hormone (GH) secretion in swine, we examined GHRP-2- and GHRH-induced GH secretion after pretreatment with atropine or pyridostigmine. Pretreatment of swine with atropine (80 µg/kg bodyweight (BW), intravenous (i.v.)) 15 min before i.v. administration of saline, GHRP-2 (30 µg/kg BW), GHRH (1 µg/kg BW) or a combination of GHRP-2 and GHRH, reduced plasma GH area under the curve ( P  < 0.05), completely blocked GH response to GHRH, and attenuated GH response to GHRP-2 and GHRH combined ( P  < 0.05), without affecting GH response to GHRP-2 only. A synergistic effect of GHRP-2 and GHRH was not observed. In contrast, pretreatment of swine with pyridostigmine (100 µg/kg BW, i.v.), under the same pretreatment conditions as above, increased plasma GH concentration ( P  < 0.01), augmented GH response to GHRP-2 ( P  < 0.05), and GHRP-2 and GHRH combined ( P  < 0.05), but did not affect GH response to GHRH. These results suggest that the cholinergic muscarinic agents atropine and pyridostigmine modulate the GH response to GHRP-2 and GHRH, and that GHRP-2 acts antagonistically on the inhibitory effect of somatostatin in swine.     

In vitro algaecide effect of disinfectants on Prototheca zopfii genotypes 1 and 2

Bovine mastitis due to Prototheca zopfii leads to reduced milk production and is difficult to cure. Therefore, prevention is the best approach and this is best achieved through the use of effective disinfectants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro algaecide efficacy of conventional disinfectants against strains of P. zopfii genotype 1 and 2. The minimal algaecide concentration (MAC) of alkyldiaminoethylglycine hydrochloride, chlorhexidine, dioxide chlorine, povidone iodine and sodium hypochlorous acid against 10 isolates and the type strain (SAG2063(T)) of P. zopfii genotype 1 as well as 10 isolates and the type strain (SAG2021(T)) of P. zopfii genotype 2 were examined using the micro dilution method. This in vitro study indicated that alkyldiaminoethylglycine hydrochloride, chlorhexidine, povidone iodine and sodium hypochlorous acid, but not dioxide chlorine, are effective against both genotypes of P. zopfii.     

Effects of rumen‐protected methionine on milk production in early lactation dairy cattle fed with a diet containing 14.5% crude protein

We evaluated the influence on milk production of feeding early lactation cows a diet that included 14.5% crude protein (CP) and that did not meet methionine (Met) requirements or that met them by supplying rumen‐protected Met (RPMet). Thirty‐nine multiparous Holstein cows were allocated into two groups. For 15 weeks after calving, each group was fed one of the two total mixed rations, Control (n = 20) or Treatment (n = 19). The Treatment group received added RPMet at 0.034% (8 g/day) of the Control diet on dry matter basis. The adequacies of Met for the Control and Treatment groups were 96% and 106%, respectively, and for other amino acids, >110%. The CP level (14.5%) was 1 percentage point lower than that recommended by the Japanese Feeding Standard (2006). No between‐group differences were found in milk yield (40 kg/day), milk composition, plasma profile, rumen fermentation, nitrogen balance, or cow health. Met intake and the amount of rumen‐undegradable feed Met were higher in the Treatment group (p < 0.05). Microbial Met and total metabolizable Met did not differ between groups. Supplying RPMet in a 14.5% CP diet during early lactation did not dramatically affect milk production, because the amount of total metabolizable Met was unchanged.