Structural identification of new curcumin dimers and their contribution to the antioxidant mechanism of curcumin

As a part of the research project on the elucidation of the chain-breaking antioxidant mechanism of natural phenolics against the oxidation of food components, curcumin, a main turmeric pigment, was investigated. A relatively high concentration of curcumin gave three dimers as radical termination products in addition to the coupling products with curcumin and the lipid hydroperoxide. The structural analysis of these dimers and quantitative analysis of their production rates revealed that radical-radical termination mainly occurred at the 2-position of curcumin. The contribution of the pathway for production of these dimers to the antioxidant mechanism of curcumin was estimated from the concentration-dependent data of the antioxidant activity and formation rates of these termination products. The A-A termination (dimer formation) was estimated to contribute at least about 40% of the entire antioxidant process against ethyl linoleate oxidation.     

Effects of food materials on removal of Allium-specific volatile sulfur compounds

Effects of food materials were investigated on removal of several kinds of thiols, sulfides, and disulfides, which arise from vegetables of Allium species during food preparation and eating. Methanethiol, propanethiol, and 2-propenethiol were captured by raw foods such as fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms or a mixture of their acetone powders and phenolic compounds. The odor of diallyl disulfide was remarkably reduced by kiwi fruit, spinach, cutting lettuce, parsley, basil, mushrooms, and, particularly, cow's milk, raw egg, boiled rice, and bovine serum albumin (BSA). This suggests that the removal of diallyl disulfide could be caused by a physical and chemical interaction between the disulfide and foods. Furthermore, milk and BSA captured propanethiol, 2-propenethiol, dipropyl sulfide, diallyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, and dipropyl disulfide very well. An enzymatic degradation of diallyl disulfide by spinach and asparagus was also observed. These results demonstrate that the deodorization with foods is achieved by multiple actions including physical and chemical interaction between volatile sulfur compounds and foods, enzymatic degradation of disulfides, and addition of thiols to polyphenolic compounds, catalyzed by polyphenol oxidases or peroxidases.     

Age-specific plasma biochemistry reference ranges in <1 year old dogs in Japan

The purpose of this study was to investigate and propose possible reference intervals of plasma biochemical analytes in young dogs (<12 months old) in Japan, using 896 canine plasma samples, collected from an array of veterinary clinics throughout the greater Tokyo metropolis area in Japan. The following biochemical parameters were assessed: albumin (ALB), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), amylase, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CRE), glucose, lipase, total cholesterol (T-Cho), and total protein (TP) were evaluated. Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that partitioning according to age or gender may be necessary for some plasma analytes. Age appeared to significantly affect ALB, ALT, ALP, BUN, Glucose, Lipase, and Total Protein (P=?<0.001, <0.001, <0.001, 0.013, <0.001, 0.025, and <0.001, respectively). On the other hand, gender significantly influenced ALP, Amylase, Lipase, and T-Cho levels (P=0.017, <0.001, <0.001, and <0.001, respectively) whereas it may be borderline significant with ALT (P=0.072).     

The suppressive effect of dietary coenzyme Q10 on mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production and oxidative stress in chickens exposed to heat stress

This study was conducted to determine if dietary supplementation with coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀), which can act as a potent antioxidant and is an obligatory cofactor of mitochondrial uncoupling protein, suppresses the heat stress (HS)‐induced overproduction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative damage in the skeletal muscle of birds. The carbonyl protein content of skeletal muscle was significantly higher in birds exposed to HS treatment (34°C, 12 h) than in thermoneutral birds (25°C). This increase was suppressed by CoQ₁₀ supplementation (40 mg/kg diet). Succinate‐supported mitochondrial ROS production was increased by HS treatment, and this increase was also suppressed by CoQ₁₀ supplementation. In contrast, CoQ₁₀ supplementation did not affect the HS‐induced decrease in mitochondrial proton leak. The mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ), to which HS‐induced ROS production was previously shown to be sensitive, tended to be increased by HS treatment, but this rise in ΔΨ was not affected by CoQ₁₀ supplementation. Taken together, these results suggest that dietary CoQ₁₀ supplementation attenuates HS‐induced oxidative damage to skeletal muscle, by preventing the overproduction of succinate‐supported mitochondrial ROS in a manner that is independent of ΔΨ. © 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science     

Development of 11 microsatellite markers in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus parviflora</Emphasis> by the dual-suppression technique and next-generation sequencing

Pinus parviflora Sieb. et Zucc. var. parviflora is a coniferous tree species distributed in mountainous areas of temperate zones from southern Tohoku to the Kyushu area in Japan. Some P. parviflora populations have become small and endangered due to massive death resulting from pine wilt disease, scab canker, and presumably climate change. We developed 11 microsatellite markers for P. parviflora by the dual-suppression technique and next-generation sequencing using 32 individuals of P. parviflora collected from Aokigahara at the foot of Mt. Fuji. The number of alleles for each locus ranged from two to 10. The averages of observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.61 and 0.59, respectively. These markers will become powerful tools for assessing genetic diversity, genetic connectivity, and genetic structure in P. parviflora populations, which will facilitate our understanding and conservation of P. parviflora.     

Required sample size for estimating soil respiration rates in large areas of two tropical forests and of two types of plantation in Malaysia

We estimated the required sample sizes for estimating large-scale soil respiration (for areas from 1 to 2 ha) in four ecosystems (primary and secondary forests, and oil palm and rubber plantations) in Malaysia. The soil respiration rates were 769 ± 329 mg CO₂ m⁻² h⁻¹ in the primary forest (2 ha, 50 sample points), 708 ± 300 mg CO₂ m⁻² h⁻¹ in the secondary forest (2 ha, 50 points), 815 ± 363 mg CO₂ m⁻² h⁻¹ in the oil palm plantation (1 ha, 25 points), and 450 ± 178 mg CO₂ m⁻² h⁻¹ in the rubber plantation (1 ha, 25 points). According to our sample size analysis, the number of measurement points required to determine the mean soil respiration rate at each site with an error in the mean of no more than 10% ranged from 67 to 85 at the 95% probability level. These results suggest that evaluating the spatial heterogeneity of soil respiration rates in the tropics may require more measurement points than in temperate forests.     

Characterization of novel avian paramyxovirus strain APMV/Shimane67 isolated from migratory wild geese in Japan

An avian paramyxovirus (APMV) isolated from goose feces (APMV/Shimane67) was biologically, serologically and genetically characterized. APMV/Shimane67 showed typical paramyxovirus morphology on electron microscopy. On hemagglutination inhibition test, antiserum against APMV/Shimane67 revealed low reactivity with other APMV serotypes and vice versa. The fusion (F) protein gene of APMV/Shimane67 contained 1,638 nucleotides in a single open reading frame encoding a protein of 545 amino acids. The cleavage site of F protein contained a pair of single basic amino acid (VRENR/L). The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the F gene of APMV/Shimane67 had relatively low identities (42.9–62.7% and 28.9–67.3%, respectively) with those of other APMVs. Phylogenetic analysis showed that APMV/Shimane67 was related to NDV, APMV-9 and APMV-12, but was distinct from those APMV serotypes. These results suggest that APMV/Shimane67 is a new APMV serotype, APMV-13.     

First detection of adiaspiromycosis in the lungs of a deer

Adiaspiromycosis is a pulmonary infection caused by the soil fungi, Emmonsia crescens and E. parva. It primarily affects small mammals and can range from an asymptomatic condition to fatal disseminated disease. We detected a granuloma containing fungal spherules, which were morphologically consistent with the adiaspores of E. crescens in the lungs of a female Hokkaido sika deer. This is the first reported case of adiaspiromycosis involving a cervid in the world.     

Serological evidence of influenza A virus infection in Kuril harbor seals (Phoca vitulina stejnegeri) of Hokkaido, Japan

For proper management and conservation of the Kuril harbor seal (Phoca vitulina stejnegeri) through disease control, serological analysis was performed for influenza A virus infection in free-ranging seals in Hokkaido, Japan. Serum samples were collected from seals at Nosappu (231 seals), Akkeshi (16) and Erimo (75), between 1998 and 2005, and were analyzed by ELISA. Antibodies to the influenza A virus were detected only in seals from Nosappu. The incidences were 11% (1/9), 3% (2/66), 12% (7/59) and 6% (5/77) in 1998, 2003, 2004 and 2005, respectively. These suggest sporadic infection. Because antibody-positive seals included juvenile seals in each year, the infections were considered to have been circulated since no later than the late 1990s until recent years. ELISA-positive sera were analyzed by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests to determine the subtypes. Antibodies to the H3 and H6 subtypes were detected in 10 and 2 sera, respectively. Two of the sera that had antibodies to the H6 subtype also had antibodies to the H3 subtype. These two seals were considered to have been infected with both the H3 and H6 subtypes. This is the first investigation to find antibodies to the H6 subtype in seals. Although the H6 subtype had been isolated only from avians, genetic analysis had suggested that the H6 subtype could become a novel mammalian pathogen. For definitive diagnosis, detection of the virus from the tissue or mucus of seals is required.