Folk medicinal plants used in gynecological disorders in Tinsukia district, Assam, India

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the treatment of gynecological disorders was carried out among the rural people in Tinsukia district, Assam, India.     

The stimulatory effect of insulin-like growth factor-1 on the proliferation, differentiation, and mineralisation of osteoblastic cells from Holstein cattle

This study investigated the effect of exogenous insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 on the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblastic cells from Chinese Holstein cattle and the resultant bone nodule formation and mineralisation in vitro. The osteoblastic cells were isolated and cultured, then identified using Giemsa and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining methods. The effect of different concentrations of IGF-1 on cell growth was assessed by MTT assay. The ALP activity and osteocalcin (OC) concentration in the osteoblastic cells were measured by a colorimetric assay and a radioimmmunoassay, respectively. Calcium nodules were observed using alizarin red S stain, while the content of matrix calcium was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Cell proliferation in the cultures was stimulated by IGF-1 at concentrations ranging from 1 to 200 ng/mL, with the maximum effect observed at 100 ng/mL. This effect was observed from day 1 and peaked at day 5, but decreased at day 7. At concentrations of 10 ng/mL and 100 ng/mL, IGF-1 significantly induced ALP activity, OC level, matrix calcium content, and nodule formation of the osteoblastic cells by 20–180% (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), compared to controls. The results suggested that IGF-1 is an anabolic agent for the proliferation, differentiation, mineralisation and calcium content of dairy cow osteoblasts, and could therefore act as a potential treatment for the metabolic bone diseases in these animals.     

Distribution of the neurokinin-1 receptor in equine intestinal smooth muscle

REASON FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Tachykinins have profound effects on equine intestinal motility, but the distribution of the neurokinin receptors (NKRs) through which they act is unknown. This study reports the distribution of one of these receptors, the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R), in smooth muscle throughout the equine intestinal tract. OBJECTIVES: To quantify the distribution of the NK1R, based upon mRNA expression, in smooth muscle of different regions of the equine intestinal tract. METHODS: Nine regions of the intestinal tract were sampled in 5 mature horses. Total RNA was isolated from smooth muscle and reverse transcribed; NK1R mRNA was then quantified using real-time PCR. RESULTS: NK1R mRNA was found at all levels of the sampled intestinal tract. The smooth muscle of the proximal small intestine and the ventral colon exhibited the highest level of NK1R mRNA expression in the equine intestinal tract. CONCLUSIONS: Tachykinins probably affect intestinal contractility and propulsion in the proximal small intestine and in the ventral colon.     

代谢调节剂对嫩枝扦插繁殖成活率的影响及其机理

  研究了红栌、樱桃砧木和石榴嫩枝扦插过程中, 喷施MHS代谢调节剂对其插条成活率、生根率和保绿时间的影响, 及其叶片中可溶性糖、可溶性蛋白质、叶绿素含量和SOD活性的变化。结果表明,MHS对扦插难、易生根植物生长均有明显促进作用。对红栌插条而言, 经生根剂浸根并喷施MHS后插条的成活率和生根率均最高, 与清水对照相比分别提高了895173%和735172% , 保绿时间延长了28185 d。插条的可溶性糖、可溶性蛋白质和叶绿素含量随处理天数的增加而呈增高趋势, 且均高于浸根处理的对照组。SOD活性在处理初期活力有所下降, 后期明显增强。由此可见, MHS是通过对插条生理生化代谢的调控来提高其成活率的。     

基于颠茄发根的外源基因表达系统的建立

 用携带植物高效表达载体pCAMBIA1304 ⁺ “解除武装”的重组C58C1工程菌转化颠茄无菌苗真叶, 发根诱导率达100%。PCR检测证实发根型质粒pRiA4和表达型质粒pCAMBIA1304 ⁺均能整合到颠茄发根基因组内, 共转化率达30%。建立了基于颠茄发根的高效外源基因表达系统, 为将托品烷类生物碱东莨菪碱的生物合成关键酶基因导入颠茄, 实现其次生代谢工程及开展分子育种奠定了基础。     

The separate effects of the nature of diet and grazing mobility on metabolic potential of muscles from Charolais steers

The objectives of the two experiments presented were to determine the separate effects of diet and mobility associated with grazing on the metabolic potential of muscles of Charolais steers reared at similar growth rates and slaughtered at the same age (31 months on average).Glycolytic [lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), phosphofructokinase (PFK)] and oxidative [β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HAD), citrate synthase (CS), isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH), cytochrome c oxidase (COX)] enzyme activities were measured spectrophotometrically in semitendinosus (ST), a glycolytic muscle, and rectus abdominis (RA), an oxidative muscle.In Experiment 1, 24 weaned steers were assigned to two groups: grazing grass (GG) and maize silage (MS). In Experiment 2, 30 weaned steers were assigned to five groups: grazing grass (GG), cut grass without walking (CG), cut grass with walking (CGW), maize silage without walking (MS) and maize silage with walking (MSW). Both experiments lasted for 2 years. All grass fed animals were fed grass silage during the two winter seasons. During the two summer seasons, GG steers were grazing and did not receive any supplementation while CG and CGW steers were fed indoor freshly cut grass alone. MS and MSW steers were fed maize silage indoor during the entire experiment. For the second summer before slaughter, half of the indoor fed steers on each type of diet (CGW and MSW groups) was submitted 7 days a week to a 5.2 km walk daily.At slaughter, carcass weight and composition did not differ between groups. Oxidative HAD, CS and ICDH enzyme activities were higher for GG, as compared with MS group, in RA muscle in both experiments (P < 0.05 to 0.01) and in ST muscle (P < 0.05) in Experiment 2. Muscles from the GG group were thus more oxidative than those of the MS group. It was further tested whether these effects could be specifically attributed to the nature of the diet or to differences in mobility. A cut grass diet (vs. maize silage) increased HAD and ICDH activities (P < 0.05) and mobility induced by walking increased HAD and CS (P < 0.01) activities. In conclusion, the more oxidative metabolic orientation of muscles of grazing steers originates from a combination of two effects: an increase mobility at pasture and a grass (vs. maize silage)-based diet.     

Effects of PM2.5 on metabolic pathways based on metabolomics

As one of the common air pollutants, fine particulate matter/particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5) is an important risk factor affecting human health. Many epidemiological studies have shown that PM_2.5 increases the risk of various diseases. However, its underlying biological mechanisms have not been well understood. Metabolomics is an emerging field that has been used to identify the metabolic pathways involved in pathogenesis by analyzing changes in metabolite levels for disease diagnosis and treatment development. Many metabolomics-based studies have shown that the pathophysiological changes caused by PM_2.5 exposure may involve disturbances in various metabolites and metabolic pathways. In this paper, a brief review of the research progress of the effects of PM_2.5 on the metabolic pathways using metabolomics is presented.     

In ovo embryotoxicity of α-endosulfan adversely influences liver and brain metabolism and the immune system in chickens

There is a lack of laboratory-based embryonic chicken toxicity studies with the ecologically relevant low dose/s of endosulfan that utilizes a more practical approach such as the chorioallontoic membrane (CAM) injection. In this investigation, 2μg AR grade α-endosulfan/egg (40% of LD₅₀ for embryos) was injected through the CAM in 12-day-old chicken embryos and the activities of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase, EC 3.1.3.9), fructose 1,6-diphosphatase (FDPase, EC 3.1.3.11), adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase, EC 3.6.1.3) and succinic dehydrogenase (SDH, EC 1.3.99.1) and DNA and RNA content in liver and brain tissues and acetyl cholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) in the latter were determined at 24, 48, and 72 h post-exposure. The wet weight of the embryos did not differ between groups. Following endosulfan exposure, except increase in the hepatic ATPase activity (P < 0.01), there was a significant decrease in the following parameters: G6Pase activity in both the liver and brain (P < 0.01), SDH activity in the brain (P < 0.01), brain overall DNA and RNA concentration (P < 0.05), brain AChE activity (P < 0.01). Exposure of 18-day-old embryos to 2-μg endosulfan for 24 h caused decrease (P < 0.01) in the lymphocyte count and IgG content. Histopathology of thymus and bursa of Fabricius revealed a reduction in the population of thymic follicles, smaller thymocytes with the clear vacuoles in cytoplasm and fewer bursocytes accompanied by infiltration of erythrocytes in lymphoid follicles of the endosulfan-treated embryos. It was inferred that in ovo injection of 0.041 μg/g egg weight of α-endosulfan suppress gluconeogenesis (main energy source in embryonic life), nerve transmission, and immunity.