Rapid Mining of Novel α-Glucosidase and Lipase Inhibitors from Streptomyces sp. HO1518 Using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS

A rapid and sensitive method using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) was applied for the analysis of the metabolic profile of acarviostatin-containing aminooligosaccharides derived from Streptomyces sp. HO1518. A total of ninety-eight aminooligosaccharides, including eighty potential new compounds, were detected mainly based on the characteristic fragment ions originating from quinovosidic bond cleavages in their molecules. Following an LC-MS-guided separation technique, seven new aminooligosaccharides (10–16) along with four known related compounds (17–20) were obtained directly from the crude extract of strain HO1518. Compounds 10–13 represent the first examples of aminooligosaccharides with a rare acarviostatin II02-type structure. In addition, all isolates displayed considerable inhibitory effects on three digestive enzymes, which revealed that the number of the pseudo-trisaccharide core(s), the feasible length of the oligosaccharides, and acyl side chain exerted a crucial influence on their bioactivities. These results demonstrated that the UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS-based metabolomics approach could be applied for the rapid identification of aminooligosaccharides and other similar structures in complex samples. Furthermore, this study highlights the potential of acylated aminooligosaccharides with conspicuous α-glucosidase and lipase inhibition for the future development of multi-target anti-diabetic drugs.     

Effects of natural protease inhibitors on high protease activity flours

Wheat grain damaged by wheat bug (Eurygaster spp.) contains the bug salivary secretion which hydrolyses the gluten needed for the dough quality of breadmaking due to its proteolytic activity. Since the protease inhibitors are widespread throughout the plant kingdom, the possibility of using some plants, especially food and feed legumes to decrease the proteolytic activity of flours milled from bug damaged wheats was investigated. The proteolytic activity was considerably inhibited by pefabloc-SC and EDTA-Na₂, suggesting that bug protease(s) included serine and metallo proteases. Extracts from cones of hops, seeds of grass pea, red kidney bean and sunflower caused reduction in the activity of bug protease(s). Effects of hop extract on electrophoretic, rheological properties of high protease activity flours milled from different bread wheat cultivars damaged by the bug were also studied. The dough development time and stability values of high protease activity flours increased considerably with hop extract at the lowest addition level (10:1, flour to hop extract ratio). The doughs supplemented with the hop extract had higher maximum resistance and lower extensibility values as compared to their controls. These results suggested that hop extract had improving effects on high protease activity flours due to the bug damage.     

Marine-Derived Quorum-Sensing Inhibitory Activities Enhance the Antibacterial Efficacy of Tobramycin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Bacterial epiphytes isolated from marine eukaryotes were screened for the production of quorum sensing inhibitory compounds (QSIs). Marine isolate KS8, identified as a Pseudoalteromonas sp., was found to display strong quorum sensing inhibitory (QSI) activity against acyl homoserine lactone (AHL)-based reporter strains Chromobacterium violaceum ATCC 12472 and CV026. KS8 supernatant significantly reduced biofilm biomass during biofilm formation (−63%) and in pre-established, mature P. aeruginosa PAO1 biofilms (−33%). KS8 supernatant also caused a 0.97-log reduction (−89%) and a 2-log reduction (−99%) in PAO1 biofilm viable counts in the biofilm formation assay and the biofilm eradication assay respectively. The crude organic extract of KS8 had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2 mg/mL against PAO1 but no minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was observed over the concentration range tested (MBC > 16 mg/mL). Sub-MIC concentrations (1 mg/mL) of KS8 crude organic extract significantly reduced the quorum sensing (QS)-dependent production of both pyoverdin and pyocyanin in P. aeruginosa PAO1 without affecting growth. A combinatorial approach using tobramycin and the crude organic extract at 1 mg/mL against planktonic P. aeruginosa PAO1 was found to increase the efficacy of tobramycin ten-fold, decreasing the MIC from 0.75 to 0.075 µg/mL. These data support the validity of approaches combining conventional antibiotic therapy with non-antibiotic compounds to improve the efficacy of current treatments.     

水稻抽穗后喷施多胺合成抑制剂对水稻籽粒多胺含量与组成的影响

以高多胺水稻品种金陵香糯为材料,在抽穗期、开花期和灌浆期用不同浓度的多胺合成抑制剂D 精氨酸（D Arg）、甲基乙二醛双（鸟苷腙）（MGBG）和环己胺（CHA）喷施穗部和剑叶,研究它们对水稻籽粒中游离态和结合态多胺含量和组成的影响。结果表明,D Arg对3个时期水稻籽粒中游离态和结合态各多胺含量及总量均有显著抑制作用,其中开花期和灌浆期处理的效果较明显。MGBG和CHA主要影响籽粒多胺的组成,对多胺总量的影响仅MGBG在开花期、CHA在抽穗期和开花期处理的抑制作用达显著水平。     

Comparative bioactivity of selected seed extracts from Brazilian Annona species and an acetogenin-based commercial bioinsecticide against Trichoplusia ni and Myzus persicae

The acute and chronic toxicity of ethanolic seed extracts from selected Brazilian Annona species (Annona montana Macfadyen, Annona mucosa Jacquin, Annona muricata Linnaeus, and Annona sylvatica A. St.-Hil) and an acetogenin-based commercial bioinsecticide (Anosom^®) were investigated against the cabbage looper Trichoplusia ni Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and the green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae). In the laboratory, extracts of A. mucosa and A. sylvatica as well as Anosom^® were especially active through oral and topical administration. A greenhouse trial showed that a formulated A. mucosa extract and Anosom^® were highly effective (>98% mortality) against third instar T. ni larvae, and comparable to a pyrethrin-based commercial insecticide (Insect Spray^®) used as a positive control. Similar to results with T. ni, A. mucosa extract showed the greatest aphicidal activity followed by A. sylvatica extract and Anosom^®. In another greenhouse trial, aphid population reduction from the formulated A. mucosa extract was superior to that provided by other treatments including the positive control. Though inferior to the A. mucosa extract, the acetogenin-based commercial insecticide (Anosom^®) and A. sylvatica extract also reduced aphid populations in a manner comparable to the positive control. Botanical insecticides based on these Annonaceae derivatives could be useful in the framework of Brassica IPM in Brazil and elsewhere, especially for organic production.     

Acetylcholinesterase-Inhibiting Activity of Pyrrole Derivatives from a Novel Marine Gliding Bacterium, Rapidithrix thailandica

Acetylcholinesterase-inhibiting activity of marinoquinoline A (1), a new pyrroloquinoline from a novel species of a marine gliding bacterium Rapidithrix thailandica, was assessed (IC₅₀ 4.9 μM). Two related pyrrole derivatives, 3-(2′-aminophenyl)-pyrrole (3) and 2,2-dimethyl-pyrrolo-1,2-dihydroquinoline (4), were also isolated from two other strains of R. thailandica. The isolation of 3 from a natural source is reported here for the first time. Compound 4 was proposed to be an isolation artifact derived from 3. The two isolated compounds were virtually inactive in the acetylcholinesterase-inhibitory assay (enzyme inhibition < 30% at 0.1 g L⁻¹).     

杧果乙烯抑制剂的筛选及其采后保鲜效果研究

比较研究不同浓度乙烯抑制剂AOA(aminooxyacetic acid)、AIB(α-amino-isobutyric acid)、AVG (Aminoethoxyvinyl glycine hydrochloride)、ATA(3-amino-1,2,4-triazole)、1-MCP(1-methylcyclopropene)、精胺、亚精胺对采后杧果(Mangifera indica L．)乙烯释放的抑制效果,以期筛出最佳乙烯抑制剂并探究其对杧果的贮藏保鲜效果。结果表明：不同浓度乙烯抑制剂处理杧果,均可降低杧果果实乙烯释放量,其中1 mmol/L精胺、10 mmol/L亚精胺和50 mmol/L ATA可有效延缓硬度、可滴定酸(Titratable acid, TA)下降,维持较高VC(Vitamin C)和TSS(Total soluble solids)含量。综合分析,精胺、亚精胺、ATA处理可有效延缓采后杧果果实软化,为采后杧果贮藏保鲜提供技术支持。     

大麦根中多胺含量和转化与耐盐性的关系

用0、50、100、200和300mmol·L-1NaCl对2个耐盐性不同的大麦品种鉴4(J4,耐盐性较强)和科品7号(KP7,耐盐性较弱)幼苗处理8d后,其干重均随着NaCl浓度增加而显著下降,叶片MDA含量和相对电导率相应增加。与对照相比,J4干重的降低要小于KP7,MDA含量和相对电导率也比KP7低。在盐胁迫下,大麦幼苗根系的多胺含量和种类也有显著的变化,随NaCl浓度的增加,腐胺(Put)含量先下降后上升,而亚精胺(Spd)含量的变化则相反,这种多胺含量变化的盐浓度阈值J4大于KP7。多胺合成抑制剂D-Arg、二氟甲基鸟氨酸(DFMO)和甲基乙二醛双(鸟嘌呤腙)(MGBG)可以显著降低盐胁迫下多胺含量,不同程度上加重了盐胁迫的伤害,表明植物体内多胺在盐胁迫适应中具有重要的作用。     

Effects of preemergence and postemergence herbicides on urea hydrolysis and nitrification of urea nitrogen in soil

The influence of 5 and 50 mg active ingredient kg^-1 soil of nine preemergence and nine postemergence herbicides on transformations of urea N in soil was studied in samples of two coarse-textured and two fine-textured soils incubated aerobically at 20°C. The effects of each herbicide on soil urea transformations was measured by determining the amounts of urea hydrolyzed and the amounts of NO _inf3 ^sup- and NO _inf2 ^sup- produced at various times after treatment with urea. Applied at the rate of 5 mg active ingredient kg^-1 soil, none of the herbicides retarded urea hydrolysis in the four soils used, but four of the postemergence herbicides (acifluorfen, diclofop methyl, fenoxaprop ethyl) retarded urea hydrolysis in the two coarse-textured soils. All the herbicides tested except siduron retarded nitrification in the two coarse-textured soils when applied at 50 mg of urea N active ingredient kg^-1 soil, and fenoxaprop ethyl and tridiphane markedly retarded nitrification of urea N in all four of the soils when applied at this rate. One-way analysis of variance and correlation analyses indicated that the inhibitory effects of the 18 herbicides tested on nitrification of urea N in soil increased with a decrease in the organic-matter content and an increase in the sand content of the soil. Present address: Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA     

一类新型植物生长延缓剂的作用机理及其应用

含有降冰片烯二氮杂环丁烯、三唑、嘧啶、吡啶和咪唑类结构的一类新型植物生长延缓剂,其共同的特征是在分子内杂环中的 sp~2杂化 N 上具有一对孤对电子。这对孤对电子作为第六配体结合到细胞色素 P-450内血红素铁上,代替了催化反应中所需的氧,导致某些依赖细胞色素P-450的单氧酶失活,并因此影响与 GA,ABA 和甾醇等有关的代谢途径,进而调节植物的生长和发育过程。因此,这类植物生长延缓剂在农林和园艺等方面具有广泛的应用前景。