Isolation of a galactomannan that enhances macrophage activation from the edible fungus Morchella esculenta

The edible mushroom Morchella esculenta is among the most highly prized and morphologically recognizable fungi in the world. We describe the isolation from a polar extract of M. esculenta carpophores of a high-molecular-weight galactomannan, about 1.0 million Da, that exhibits immunostimulatory activity. At 3.0 microg/mL the galactomannan polysaccharide increased NF-kappa B directed luciferase expression in THP-1 human monocytic cells to levels 50% of those achieved by maximal activating concentration (10 microg/mL) of lipopolysaccharide. This galactomannan comprises about 2.0% of the dry fungal material weight, and its glycosyl components include mannose (62.9%) and galactose (20.0%).     

Effects of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) essential oils as dietary antioxidant supplementation on carcass and meat quality of goat meat

Despite the fact that the use of rosemary and thyme residues and essential oils in animal feeding was widely documented, that of myrtle is scarce. To test the hypothesis that myrtle essential oils (MEOs) could improve goats' carcass characteristics and meat quality traits, twenty-one male goats received a ration consisted of 40% oat hay and 60% concentrate. Experimental goat kids received the control diet supplemented with 0, 0.3 and 0.6% of myrtle essential oils (MEOs) for C, Myrt1 and Myrt2 groups respectively. The administration of MEO did not improve the daily DM intake (p > 0.05). Kids of C and Myrt2 groups had higher average daily gain than Myrt1 group (75 versus 55 g). The goats slaughtered at 19.9 kg of weight did not differ (p > 0.05) in carcass weights and carcass yield in terms of commercial dressing percentage (CDP = 41%) and real dressing percentage (RDP = 52%). The administration of MEO increased the meat polyphenol content, being higher in both Myrtle groups (87 versus. 56 μg gallic acid equivalents g^-1 fresh matter, p < 0.05). Myrtle EO administration protected kids’ meat against oxidation (0.48 versus. 0.91 mg MDA/kg of meat for Myrtle and C groups, respectively, at the 9th day of storage; p < 0.05). It could be useful to include MEO as a dietary supplement in goats’ rations since it improves meat's oxidative status without negative effects on FA profile.     

Captive breeding of climbing perch Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792) with Wova-FH for conservation and aquaculture

Induced breeding of climbing perch, Anabas testudineus was conducted by synthetic hormone Wova‐FH in the intensity level of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mL kg^?1 of body weight respectively. The brooders were injected one time and left to spawn in the spawning hapa in the sex ratio between male and female as 2:1. It was found that at all the intensity level hormone Wova‐FH could enhance the fishes to breed and lay eggs whereas no breeding was observed in control set. The spawning time, quantity of the brooder spawn, fertilization rate, hatching rate and survival rate were quantified in each set of experiment. The egg output/female was significantly higher in 0.3 mL in comparison with 0.1 and 0.2 mL kg^?1 of body weight. The statistical analysis showed significant (P≤0.05) effect between hormone dose on fertilization rate, egg output and hatching rate. The present experiment suggests that Wova‐FH at the dose of 0.3 mL kg^?1 body weight of fish is more effective which might be considered for raising captive population.     

Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR)-PCR analysis to assess genetic diversity in a collection of wild cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.) clones

Summary

Forty-eight wild cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.) clones, collected from four Canadian Provinces, were assessed for genetic variability using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR)-PCR methods. Nine primers generated 138 polymorphic ISSR bands. A substantial degree of genetic diversity was found among the wild collection. Cluster analysis by the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) separated the 48 wild clones into six main clusters, and identified the one remaining clone as an outlier. Furthermore, within four of the clusters, the clones tended to form sub-clusters that were in agreement with a principal coordinate (PCO) analysis. Geographical distribution explained 8% of the total variation revealed by analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). The ISSR markers detected a sufficient degree of polymorphism to differentiate among cloudberry clones, making this technology valuable for germplasm management, and more efficient choices of parents in current cloudberry breeding programmes.     

Cell type-specific loss of BDNF signaling mimics optogenetic control of cocaine reward

The nucleus accumbens is a key mediator of cocaine reward, but the distinct roles of the two subpopulations of nucleus accumbens projection neurons, those expressing dopamine D1 versus D2 receptors, are poorly understood. We show that deletion of TrkB, the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) receptor, selectively from D1+ or D2+ neurons oppositely affects cocaine reward. Because loss of TrkB in D2+ neurons increases their neuronal excitability, we next used optogenetic tools to control selectively the firing rate of D1+ and D2+ nucleus accumbens neurons and studied consequent effects on cocaine reward. Activation of D2+ neurons, mimicking the loss of TrkB, suppresses cocaine reward, with opposite effects induced by activation of D1+ neurons. These results provide insight into the molecular control of D1+ and D2+ neuronal activity as well as the circuit-level contribution of these cell types to cocaine reward.     

Antidiarrhoeal activity of carbazole alkaloids from Murraya koenigii Spreng (Rutaceae) seeds

The bioassay guided fractionation of the n-hexane extract of the seeds of Murraya koenigii Spreng (Rutaceae) resulted in the isolation of three bioactive carbazole alkaloids, kurryam (I), koenimbine (II) and koenine (III). The structures of the compounds were confirmed from their ¹H-, ¹³C-, and 2D-NMR spectral data. Of the three compounds (I) and (II) exhibited significant inhibitory activity against castor oil-induced diarrhoea and PGE₂-induced enteropooling in rats. The compounds also produced a significant reduction in gastrointestinal motility in the charcoal meal test in Wister rats.     

Antiparasitic antioxidant phenylpropanoids and iridoid glycosides from Tecoma mollis

A radical scavenging guided phytochemical study on the stem bark of Tecoma mollis afforded seven active phenylpropanoid glycosides (1–7), including a new one (4), and one iridoid (8). The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidences and correlated with known compounds. Compounds (1–7) displayed promising antioxidant activity (DPPH assay) in relation to ascorbic acid (positive control). The antimicrobial activity for compounds (1–8) was evaluated against five bacterial and five fungal strains. The isolated compounds exhibited nonselective weak to moderate antimicrobial activity. The highest antileishmanial activity against Leishmania donovani was observed for compound (7) with an IC₅₀ value of 6.71 μg/ml, using pentamidine and amphotericin B as drug controls. Compound (5) exhibited moderate antimalarial activity (45% inhibition) against chloroquine sensitive (D6) clones of Plasmodium falciparum.