Effects of Oral Administration of Fucoidan Extracted from Cladosiphon okamuranus on Tumor Growth and Survival Time in a Tumor-Bearing Mouse Model

We evaluated the anti-tumor activities of the oral administration of fucoidan extracted from Cladosiphon okamuranus using a tumor (colon 26)-bearing mouse model. The materials used included low-molecular-weight fucoidan (LMWF: 6.5–40 kDa), intermediate-molecular-weight fucoidan (IMWF: 110–138 kDa) and high-molecular-weight fucoidan (HMWF: 300–330 kDa). The IMWF group showed significantly suppressed tumor growth. The LMWF and HMWF groups showed significantly increased survival times compared with that observed in the control group (mice fed a fucoidan-free diet). The median survival times in the control, LMWF, IMWF and HMWF groups were 23, 46, 40 and 43 days, respectively. It was also found that oral administration of fucoidan increased the population of natural killer cells in the spleen. Furthermore, from the results of the experiment using Myd-88 knockout mice, it was found that these effects are related to gut immunity. These results suggest that fucoidan is a candidate anti-tumor functional food.     

Genetic diversity and population structure of ‘Khao Kai Noi’, a Lao rice (Oryza sativa L.) landrace,revealed by microsatellite DNA markers

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the main food for people in Laos, where it has been grown and eaten since prehistory. Diverse landraces are grown in Laos. ‘Khao Kai Noi’, a landrace favored for its eating quality, is held in the nationwide collection of traditional landraces in the Lao national genebank. Genetic diversity is crucial for sustainable use of genetic resources and conservation. To investigate the genetic diversity of ‘Khao Kai Noi’ for conservation, we genotyped 70 accessions by using 23 polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers. The markers generated 2 to 17 alleles (132 in total), with an average of 5.7 per locus. The total expected heterozygosity over all ‘Khao Kai Noi’ accessions was 0.271. Genetic variation was largest among accessions and smallest within accessions. Khao Kai Noi accessions were classified into three different genetic backgrounds, but there was unclear association between the three inferred population and name subgroups and geographical distribution. Most of the accessions were clustered with temperate japonica and showed genetic relatedness to rice from neighboring provinces of Vietnam, suggesting a Vietnamese origin. The results of this study will contribute to the conservation, core collection and future breeding of the Khao Kai Noi population.     

The effect of free and polyethylene glycol-liposome-entrapped albendazole on larval mobility and number in Toxocara canis infected mice

As part of our exploratory drug research on the larva migrans that causes roundworm in dogs and cats, this study was carried out to clarify the effect of free and liposome-entrapped (LE) albendazole in Toxocara canis infected mice. In infected mice, evaluation of mobility and number of larva were examined in detail in the brain, skeletal muscle and liver. Larva mobility was evaluated by using the relative mobility (RM) value. Albendazole was LE as one of the drug delivery systems (DDSs). Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was added to the liposome in order to avoid evoking a response by the reticuloendothelial system (RES). By using the albendazole PEG-LE delivery system, it was possible to target the larvae in the mouse brain and liver resulting in a decrease in the number of larvae. In the skeletal muscle of the infected mice, the intraperitoneal dosages of PEG-LE albendazole did not cause a complete decrease in the number of larvae, even though free albendazole did cause the number to decrease. Therefore, it is necessary to take into consideration the migrating stage of the larvae before the initiation of any drug administration.     

Alternaria Leaf Spot on Mealycup Sage (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salvia farinacea </Emphasis>Benth.) Caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alternaria alternata </Emphasis>(Fr.) Keissler

In June 1995, a disease causing round to irregular-shaped, water-soaked, brown to blackish brown spots on mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea Benth.) was found in Atsugi-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The symptoms were seen only on leaves, not on neither flower petals or stems. The disease was also found in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Memambetsu-cho, Hokkaido and Shimoda-shi and Matsuzaki-cho, Shizuoka. An Alternaria sp. was frequently isolated from these diseased plants. The isolates were severely pathogenic to mealycup sage and caused lesions on the inoculated leaves. The isolates were also weakly pathogenic on scarlet sage (S. splendens Sellow ex Roem. and Schult.) but not on any other Labiatae plants tested. Based on morphological characteristics, such as size of conidia, chain number, and the short beak on conidia, the causal fungus was identified as Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissler. This report is the first on a mealycup sage disease caused by A. alternata. Because the symptom was restricted to the leaf, the common name of Alternaria leaf spot was proposed. Received 30 August 2002/ Accepted in revised form 18 November 2002     

Mechanism of size retention on handsheets prepared in rosin soap size-alum systems

The mechanism of rosin size retention in rosin soap size-alum systems was studied on the basis of sizing behavior and the rosin size and aluminum contents of handsheets prepared under normal and particular conditions. Rosin size, aluminum, and calcium contents of handsheets prepared with various stirring times of pulp suspensions after pH adjustment suggested that rosin size components adsorbed on pulp fibers predominantly have the structure of free rosin acid rather than rosin aluminum or calcium salt. When a carboxyl group-blocked pulp was used, the rosin size content clearly decreased. This result shows that pulp carboxyl groups play a significant role in rosin size retention. Electrostatic interactions between dissociated carboxyl groups of pulps and anionic rosin size components through cationic aluminum compounds must be present in pulp suspensions. On the other hand, nonionic interactions in pulp suspensions, which occur particularly around pH 6.2–6.5, may also contribute to rosin size retention and appearance of sizing features. When the carboxyl group blocked pulp was used, some rosin size components were retained in the handsheets in largely coagulated form, resulting in no or quite low sizing levels, when the handsheets were dried at 20°C.This research was presented in part at the 64th pulp and paper research conference of Japan TAPPI, Tokyo, June 1997     

Origin of the diclidophorid monogenean Neoheterobothrium hirame Ogawa, 1999, the causative agent of anemia in olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus

In the mid-1990s, Neoheterobothrium hirame suddenly appeared as a new species in olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus in Japanese coastal waters. Anemia caused by the parasite has prevailed in wild and cultured populations of olive flounder since that time. In this study, to clarify the origin of N. hirame, two Neoheterobothrium species, namely unidentified Neoheterobothrium species (tentatively abbreviated as Neoheterobothrium sp. PL) and N. affine, were collected from Paralichthys lethostigma and Paralichthys dentatus, respectively, off the east coast of North America and compared with N. hirame collected in Japan. No substantial differences were detected in the morphology and DNA sequences of ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2 and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mt COI) regions between N. hirame and Neoheterobothrium sp. PL. On the other hand, the congeneric N. affine was clearly distinguished from both N. hirame and Neoheterobothrium sp. PL in its longer isthmus and the DNA sequences in ITS1 and mt COI. The absence of differences between N. hirame and Neoheterobothrium sp. PL and the clear difference between both of these and N. affine indicate that N. hirame is conspecific with Neoheterobothrium sp. PL infecting P. lethostigma and that N. hirame was recently introduced from North America to Japan.     

Isolation and Characterization of New Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Components from Deep Marine-Derived Fungus Myrothecium sp. Bzo-l062

In the present study, four new compounds including a pair of 2-benzoyl tetrahydrofuran enantiomers, namely, (−)-1S-myrothecol (1a) and (+)-1R-myrothecol (1b), a methoxy-myrothecol racemate (2), and an azaphilone derivative, myrothin (3), were isolated along with four known compounds (4–7) from cultures of the deep-sea fungus Myrothecium sp. BZO-L062. Enantiomeric compounds 1a and 1b were separated through normal-phase chiral high-performance liquid chromatography. The absolute configurations of 1a, 1b, and 3 were assigned by ECD spectra. Among them, the new compound 1a and its enantiomer 1b exhibited anti-inflammatory activity, inhibited nitric oxide formation in lipopolysaccharide-treated RAW264.7 cells, and exhibited antioxidant activity in the 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity assays.     

不同温度条件下添加剂对青贮苜蓿细胞壁成分和体外干物质消化率的影响

用第2茬紫花苜蓿草,采用交叉分组设计调制了青贮。试验设20℃、30℃和40℃3个贮藏温度区,设对照(CON)、添加0.0004%乳酸菌(LAB)、添加0.005%纤维素酶(CEL)和添加0.0004%乳酸菌 0.005%纤维素酶(MIX)4个添加处理。贮存55d开封后测定青贮的细胞壁成分(总纤维-OCW、低消化性纤维-Ob、高消化性纤维-Oa)含量和体外干物质消化率(IVDMD)。结果有以下几种倾向:添加CEL和MIX可使青贮的OCW和Ob含量减少;添加LAB和MIX可提高青贮的IVDMD;添加CEL可降低青贮的IVDMD;在20℃~40℃,随贮藏温度的升高,青贮的Oa含量和IVDMD提高,Ob含量降低。     

Identification of dimethylarsinic acid as the major arsenic compound in fish sauce by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

ABSTRACT:   Arsenobetaine, the major arsenic compound in marine animals, is substantially non-toxic. It is, however, possible that arsenobetaine undergoes bacterial transformation during manufacturing of fermented fishery products. In the present study, therefore, three types of fish sauce were examined for arsenic concentrations and species compared with those in the raw materials (sardine, Japanese sandfish and Japanese common squid). Arsenic concentrations of the three types of fish sauce were almost equivalent to those in their raw materials, suggesting no accumulation of arsenic during fermentation. Arsenic speciation was performed by a combination of cation-exchange liquid chromatography (LC) and electrospray ionization (ESI)-single quadrupole mass spectrometry (MS). Optimal conditions of LC/ESI-MS were established to analyze seven arsenic compounds (arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenobetaine, trimethylarsine oxide, arsenocholine and tetramethylarsonium ion) found in biological samples. When analyzed by LC/ESI-MS, the major arsenic compound in the raw materials was arsenobetaine as expected, while not arsenobetaine but dimethylarsinic acid was identified as the major arsenic compound in the three types of fish sauce. These results suggest that arsenobetaine in the raw materials is converted to dimethylarsinic acid but not to arsenate with high toxicity by bacterial actions during manufacturing of fish sauce.