In vitro suppression of quercetin on hypertrophy and extracellular matrix accumulation in rat glomerular mesangial cells cultured by high glucose

Quercetin's protective effects on the glomerulosclerosis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) in rat mesangial cells were investigated. The cell cycles, type IV collagen and laminin, TGF-β₁ mRNA, Smad 2/3 and Smad 7, and activities of cell antioxidases were measured. Compared with the high glucose group, quercetin may decrease the cell percentages of G₀/G₁ phase, Smad 2/3 expression, laminin and type IV collagen, and TGF-β₁ mRNA level significantly. The antioxidant capacity, the cell percentages of S phase and Smad 7 expression was significantly increased by quercetin. These results suggest that quercetin is a protective agent against glomerulosclerosis in DN.     

Schisandrin B protects against solar irradiation-induced oxidative injury in BJ human fibroblasts

The effects of schisandrin B (Sch B) and its analogs on solar irradiation-induced oxidative injury were examined in BJ human fibroblasts. Sch B and schisandrin C (Sch C) increased cellular reduced glutathione (GSH) level and protected against solar irradiation-induced oxidative injury. The photoprotection was paralleled by decreases in the elastases-type protease activity and matrix-metalloproteinases-1 expression in solar-irradiated fibroblasts. The cytochrome P-450-mediated metabolism of Sch B or Sch C caused ROS production. The results suggest that by virtue of its pro-oxidant action and the subsequent glutathione antioxidant response, Sch B or Sch C may offer the prospect of preventing skin photo-aging.     

Coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia, susceptibility and response to goldspotted oak borer, Agrilus auroguttatus, injury in southern California

Oak mortality is often associated with a complex of decline factors. We describe the morphological and physiological responses of coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia Née, in California to an invasive insect, the goldspotted oak borer (GSOB), Agrilus auroguttatus Schaeffer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), and evaluate drought as a potential inciting factor. Morphological traits of 356 trees were assessed and physiological traits of 70 of these were monitored intensively over one growing season. Morphological characteristics of tree health included crown thinning and dieback; bole staining resulting from larval feeding; density of GSOB adult exit holes; and holes caused by woodpecker feeding. These characteristics were used to rank GSOB infestation/injury into four classes, and taken together, they explained 87% of the variation in a principal component analysis. Drought stress on various size/age and infestation classes of Q. agrifolia was measured by assessing branchlet pre-dawn and solar noon xylem water potential, leaf cell turgor potential, and water use efficiency over one growing season. Both morphological and physiological traits were highly variable in mature and old growth trees. Early summer plant water status (branchlet xylem water potential and water use efficiency) was similar between uninfested and newly colonized trees, suggesting that GSOB are not pre-selecting drought-stressed Q. agrifolia for oviposition. By late summer, leaf water and cell turgor potentials were lower in infested than in uninfested mature trees, suggesting that GSOB infestation causes drought stress in these trees. Among the tree size/age classes, infested old growth trees exhibited the greatest change in water use efficiency over the growing season, and showed greater morphological injury symptoms of decline than infested mature trees. Morphological attributes of decline in Q. agrifolia associated with GSOB were correlated weakly with increasing physiological drought stress among infestation classes of trees. We propose that the collection of morphological responses of Q. agrifolia to GSOB described here can be used to monitor the future expansion of the GSOB distribution as well as the GSOB-induced decline of Q. agrifolia in California.     

低温锻炼对冷胁迫下油茶幼苗光合速率与抗氧化酶活性的影响

以油茶品种"杂优闽1"为试验材料,以未经低温锻炼的油茶幼苗为对照,研究了油茶幼苗在(10±0.5)℃低温锻炼、(2±0.5)℃冷胁迫和常温恢复期间的光合速率和抗氧化酶活性的变化。结果表明:低温锻炼3 d可明显提高油茶幼苗的抗寒性;冷胁迫3 d,经低温锻炼后的油茶幼苗叶片净光合速率和相对含水量明显高于对照;且其在常温下的恢复也较对照迅速。在低温锻炼和冷胁迫期间,油茶幼苗叶片脯氨酸和可溶性糖含量明显增加,且丙二醛(MDA)含量明显低于对照;经低温锻炼的油茶幼苗叶片超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)和抗坏血酸过氧化物酶(APX)活性则均明显高于未经低温锻炼的油茶幼苗,说明渗透调节物质含量增加和保护酶活性增强在低温锻炼诱导油茶幼苗的抗寒性上发挥着重要的作用。     

施硅对玉米生长及蒸腾速率的影响

以玉米为试验材料,研究了土培条件下施Si与水分胁迫对玉米生长、蒸腾速率、叶片ABA浓度等的影响。结果表明:无论是否存在水分胁迫,施Si对玉米地上部生物量无显著影响;无论是否施Si,停止供水4d后玉米生物量明显降低;施Si显著降低了玉米植株的蒸腾速率,停止供水后其蒸腾速率明显低于正常水分供应处理,且随胁迫时间的延长,蒸腾速率逐渐降低;无论是否存在水分胁迫,施Si明显增加了玉米叶片的ABA浓度,同时水分胁迫增加了玉米叶片的内源ABA浓度。     

等渗Ca(NO3)2和NaCl胁迫对番茄光合作用的影响

研究了番茄的光合作用对等渗Ca(NO3)2和NaCl处理的响应。在等渗条件下120mmol.LNaCl和80mmol.LCa(NO3)2胁迫后,番茄叶片的叶绿素a、叶绿素b、总叶绿素含量、Chl.a/Chl.b比值、净光合速率(Pn)、气孔导度(Gs)、原初光能转换效率(Fv.Fm)、光合电子传递量子效率(ΦPSII)、Fv.Fo、光化学猝灭系数(qP)均呈下降趋势,以NaCl处理的下降幅度大于Ca(NO3)2处理;而Ca(NO3)2处理的胞间CO2浓度(Ci)呈下降趋势,NaCl处理的Ci呈升高趋势。因此,两种盐处理均对番茄植株光合作用造成了伤害,NaCl造成的伤害较Ca(NO3)2较为严重,Ca(NO3)2胁迫净光合速率下降可能是气孔限制所引起的,而NaCl胁迫净光合速率下降可能是由非气孔因子限制引起的。     

Performance Assessment of Chlorophyll Meter to Determine When to Irrigate Wheat under Different Soil Moisture Deficit Conditions: An Initial Study

ABSTRACT

Proper irrigation timing can minimize the negative impacts that reduce crop yields. Therefore, in an initial pot experimental study, we assessed the SPAD (Soil–Plant Analysis Development)-chlorophyll meter as a tool to determine proper irrigation timing of wheat under different soil water deficit conditions in a controlled-environment greenhouse. The treatments were controlled irrigation at 100% (T₁), 70% (T₂), 50% (T₃) and 30% (T₄) of soil water content at field capacity; and the growth stages were development, mid-season and late-season. SPAD readings were measured pre-irrigation events. The results indicated that the T₃ and T₂ achieved maximum grain yield per accumulated crop evapotranspiration, i.e. water productivity (0.82 and 0.76 kg m^?3), and were at par with T₁. Moreover, the SPAD readings had a high Pearson’s correlation coefficient with crop evapotranspiration (r = 0.95; P ≤ 0.001) and wheat grain yield (r = 0.90; P ≤ 0.001), indicating that SPAD reading could be used to reliably estimate when to irrigate wheat. Therefore, T₃ and T₂ SPAD readings were averaged to estimate a target limit at which irrigation should be applied. Accordingly, the target limit was defined as >44.76 for the development stage, >50.72 for the mid-season stage, and >37.64 for the late-season stage; readings below this target limit indicate that it is time to irrigate.     

Organochlorine and Metal Accumulation in Fish (Phoxinus phoxinus) Along a North-South Transect in the Alps

Southern populations of the European minnow fromremote oligotrophic mountain lakes along an Alpinenorth-south transect accumulated more p,p DDE andPCBs than northern populations. As these semi-volatileorganochlorines predominantly evaporate in warmcountries, higher rates of condensation (deposition)are assumed to occur in the southern slopes of theAlps. The higher accumulation of lead and cadmium insouthern population is rather attributed to geogenicand specific environmental impacts than to atmosphericdeposition. Increasing liver ratios of [glutathionedisulfide]/[glutathione], a potential indicator foroxidative stress, from north to south reflect thegenerally higher toxic load at remote sites at thesouthern edge of the Alps. However, histopathologicalchanges in the liver did not correlate withaccumulated toxicants indicating that deposition doesnot lead to severe lesions but induces specificmechanisms for detoxification.     

钙离子对两种基因型冬小麦萌发过程中盐胁迫效应的影响

以两种不同基因型冬小麦种子为试验材料,研究了外源Ca(NO3)2和CaC l2对小麦萌发过程中盐害的缓解作用。结果表明,150mmol L-1NaC l胁迫明显抑制小麦种子的萌发。盐胁迫主要影响小麦根和芽的伸长,对根数的影响较小。种子萌发过程中,小偃6号的耐盐性优于陕229。外源钙对两种小麦盐胁迫效应的缓解作用不同。6mmol L-1钙离子可明显减轻陕229的盐害作用,对小偃6号作用不大。盐胁迫对种子萌发过程中的蛋白酶和淀粉酶活性具有明显的抑制作用。盐胁迫下,小偃6号种子的蛋白酶和淀粉酶活性明显高于陕229。钙离子对盐胁迫下小麦萌发过程胚乳内蛋白酶的活性影响较大,对淀粉酶活性影响较小。     

规模化猪场仔猪早期断奶应激研究进展

断奶日龄与断奶后仔猪生长发育和母猪生产性能发挥密切相关。该文回顾了国内外有关不同断奶日龄对仔猪生长发育、行为习性、消化生理与免疫机能以及母猪繁殖性能等方面的研究进展,分析了早期断奶技术在规模化养猪生产中,对改善母猪生产能力和设备利用率,降低饲料消耗,提高养猪生产效益所起的作用,断奶应激可能对仔猪生产的不良影响,以及目前有关技术研究与应用中存在的主要问题,探讨了我国在规模化养猪生产中应用早期断奶技术需解决的问题及今后的研究方向。