Ethyl acetate fraction of flavonoids from Polygonum hydropiper L. modulates pseudorabies virus-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 cells via the nuclear factor-kappa B and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection leads to severe inflammatory responses and tissue damage, and many natural herbs exhibit protective effects against viral infection by modulating the inflammatory response. An ethyl acetate fraction of flavonoids from Polygonum hydropiper L. (FEA) was prepared through ethanol extraction and ethyl acetate fractional extraction. An inflammatory model was established in RAW264.7 cells with PRV infection to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of FEA by measuring cell viability, nitric oxide (NO) production, reactive oxygen species (ROS) release, and mRNA expression of inflammatory factors, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Its functional mechanism was investigated by analyzing the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of key proteins in the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. Our findings indicate that PRV induced inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 cells, and the responses were similar to that in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cells. FEA significantly suppressed NO synthesis and down-regulated both expression and secretion of COX-2, iNOS, and inflammatory cytokines (P<0.05 or P<0.01). FEA also reduced NF-κB p65 translocation into the nucleus and decreased MAPK phosphorylation, indicating that the NF-κB/MAPK signaling pathway may be closely related to the inflammatory response during viral infection. The findings suggested the potential pharmaceutical application of FEA as a natural product that can treat viral infections due to its ability to mitigate inflammatory responses.     

不同胡椒粉中胡椒碱的含量比较

采用高效液相色谱法(HPLC)和紫外分光光度法(UV)测定黑胡椒、胡椒根、市售胡椒粉和用不同浸泡液浸泡脱皮的白胡椒粉中的胡椒碱含量。结果表明：黑胡椒粉、2种市售胡椒粉和白胡椒粉中胡椒碱含量不同；果＞根、白胡椒＞黑胡椒、盐水浸泡＞河水浸泡＞醋浸泡、西安胡椒粉＞海南胡椒粉。说明不同的胡椒粉胡椒碱的含量不同，这可以为胡椒的质量控制提供比较有用的参考。     

Lipid-rich bovine serum albumin improves the viability and hatching ability of porcine blastocysts produced in vitro

The effects of lipid-rich bovine serum albumin (LR-BSA) on the development of porcine blastocysts produced in vitro were examined. Addition of 0.5 to 5 mg/ml LR-BSA to porcine blastocyst medium (PBM) from Day 5 (Day 0 = in vitro fertilization) significantly increased the hatching rates of blastocysts on Day 7 and the total cell numbers in Day-7 blastocysts. When Day-5 blastocysts were cultured with PBM alone, PBM containing LR-BSA, recombinant human serum albumin or fatty acid-free BSA, addition of LR-BSA significantly enhanced hatching rates and the cell number in blastocysts that survived compared with other treatments. The diameter, ATP content and numbers of both inner cell mass and total cells in Day-6 and Day-7 blastocysts cultured with PBM containing LR-BSA were significantly higher than in blastocysts cultured with PBM alone, whereas LR-BSA had no effect on mitochondrial membrane potential. The mRNA levels of enzymes involved in fatty acid metabolism and β-oxidation (ACSL1, ACSL3, CPT1, CPT2 and KAT) in Day-7 blastocysts were significantly upregulated by the addition of LR-BSA. The results indicated that LR-BSA enhanced hatching ability and quality of porcine blastocysts produced in vitro, as determined by ATP content, blastocyst diameter and expression levels of the specific genes, suggesting that the stimulatory effects of LR-BSA arise from lipids bound to albumin.     

Effects of Different Substrate Composition on Growth of Gesneriaceae Plants

The cultivation experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different proportions of peat soil, perlite, vermiculite and yellow mud on growth of Gesneriaceae species(Chirita gueilinensis, Sinningia speciosa, Lysionotus pauciflorus, Hemiboea henryi, Aeschynanthus acuminatus, Saintpaulia ionantha). The growth traits of each plant growing in 7 different matrix materials were investigated.The plant height, crown width and chlorophyll content of each plant were measured. The results showed that the best substrate ratio was peat soil∶vermiculite=2∶1for C. gueilinensis, L. pauciflorus and H. henryi; peat soil∶perlite∶vermiculite = 2∶1∶1for S. ionantha; peat soil∶vermiculite∶yellow mud=2∶1∶1 for S. speciosa; peat soil∶perlite∶vermiculite∶yellow mud=2∶1∶1∶1 for A. acuminatus.     

A calibration method of detecting soil water content based on the information-sharing in wireless sensor network

In agricultural production, there is contradiction between the cost and accuracy of detection during the course of acquiring soil water content (θ) online. This conflict is one of the core issues of automatic water-saving irrigation technology in agriculture. At the same time, capacitive soil moisture sensor (CSMS) has received considerable attention, for it can acquire θ with low cost and high precision, and meet the application requirements of wireless sensor network (WSN). But CSMS is vulnerable to the soil temperature (T_s) and salinity (S_s) in the measurement process. Therefore, this study took EC-5 sensor for example to establish water detection calibration models of soil temperature and salinity for single sensor, using Least Squares Support Vector Machines on MatLAB (LS-SVMlab) as the tool. On this basis, we explored the spatial variability of T_s and S_s, and then a method, which could be used to calibrate the output signals of sensors in multi-point network, was proposed based on the information-sharing (T_s or S_s) technology of WSN. Through laboratory experiment, we effectively reduced the impact of soil temperature and salinity on the single sensor. In example analysis, we investigated the detection precision and costs under different information-sharing radiuses (r). And the results indicated that the method we proposed based on the information-sharing technology of WSN could successfully calibrate the influence of soil temperature and salinity on sensors in multi-point network, and it was an efficacious approach to determine the balance between the calibration accuracy of moisture sensor and the investment of agricultural production. For example, while the calibration precision of soil temperature and salinity is respectively 1%, the costs can be reduced by 30%.     

Physiological processes associated with salinity tolerance in an alfalfa half‐sib family

We previously reported an alfalfa half‐sib family, HS‐B, with improved salt tolerance, compared to parental plants, P‐B. In this study, we conducted additional experiments to address potential physiological mechanisms that may contribute to salt tolerance in HS‐B. Vegetatively propagated HS‐B and P‐B plants were treated with a nutrient solution (control) or a nutrient solution containing NaCl (EC = 12 dS/m). Shoots and roots were harvested at various time points after treatment for quantification of proline, soluble sugar, and H₂O₂ using spectrophotometers. Subcellular localization and quantification of Na in roots were conducted using a Na⁺‐specific dye under a confocal microscope. HS‐B produced 86 and 89% greater shoot and root dry biomass, respectively, compared to parental plants, P‐B, under salinity in the greenhouse. Under saline conditions the HS‐B shoots accumulated 115% and roots 55% more soluble sugars than P‐B counterparts. The non‐saline HS‐B shoots, however, showed 72% less soluble sugars than the non‐saline P‐B plants. Under saline conditions HS‐B accumulated 39% less proline in shoots, while roots accumulated 56% more proline, compared to their P‐B parents. HS‐B plants also showed a greater reduction of stomatal conductance under mild saline stress. HS‐B shoots and roots contained 3–4 times less reactive oxygen species (H₂O₂) after salt treatment compared to P‐B plants. Sodium localization and distribution analysis using Na⁺‐specific dye revealed HS‐B plants accumulated 88% and 48% less Na⁺ in stele and xylem vessels compared to P‐B. The study provides insights into the potential mechanisms that may contribute to salt tolerance in HS‐B: maintaining RWC by accumulating soluble sugars while reducing transpiration, maintaining healthy status by reducing oxidative stresses, and preventing salt toxicity by reducing accumulation of Na⁺ inside root cells and xylem.     

Effect of Alfalfa Flavonoids on Growth Performance and Serum Indexes of Sheep

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of alfalfa flavonoids (Medicago sativa) on growth performance and serum indexes of sheep.This experiment was performed with hybrid F1 sheep of Suffolk sheep×Small-tailed Han sheep.Twenty-eight sheep with the body weight of (27.02±3.03) kg were randomly divided into 4 groups with 7 replicates in each group and 1 sheep per replicate.Sheep in different groups were fed diets with 0 (group Ⅰ), 0.1% (group Ⅱ), 0.2%(group Ⅲ) and 0.4% (group Ⅳ) alfalfa flavonoids, respectively.The experiment was cosisted of 7-day-preliminary trial and 41-day-formal trial.The results showed as follows:① Dietary supplementation of alfalfa flavonoids had no significant effects on growth performance of sheep(P>0.05).② Dietary supplementation of alfalfa flavonoids had significant effects on the contents of GLB, ASP, BUN, HDL and P in serum (P<0.05).Serum GLB content at the 1st day in group Ⅲ was significantly lower than that in groupsⅠand Ⅱ(P<0.05), serum ASP contents at the 1st and 21th days in group Ⅳ were significantly lower than those in group Ⅰ(P<0.05), serum BUN content at the 1st day in group Ⅳ was significantly lower than that in group Ⅰ(P<0.05), serum HDL content at the 21th day in group Ⅱ was significantly lower than that in groups Ⅰ and Ⅲ (P<0.05), serum P content in group Ⅳ at the 21th day was significantly lower than that in groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ (P<0.05).In conclusion, dietary supplementation of alfalfa flavonoids might modulate lipid metabolism, improve nitrogen utilization, maintain energy metabolic and balance Ca and P contents, and have the potential function for promoting growth and no adverse effect on liver.The results suggested that the appropriate supplemental level of alfalfa flavonoids for sheep was 0.2%.     

新疆甜菜丸粒化单粒种高密高产高糖栽培模式

在新疆适宜种植甜菜的生态区,通过选择甜菜丸粒化单粒种,在高密度种植条件下,依据不同栽培管理阶段特点采用合理的管理措施,以实现甜菜单产97.5～105.0t/hm2、含糖率15%以上的目标,从而构建甜菜丸粒化单粒种高密高产高糖栽培模式。     

Genotypic Variation for Tolerance to Transient Drought During the Reproductive Phase of Brassica rapa

Brassica rapa L. is a genetically diverse parent species of the allotetraploid species, oilseed rape (B. napus) and a potential source of drought tolerance for B. napus. We examined the effect of a 13‐day drought stress period during the early reproductive phase, relative to a well‐watered (WW) control, on subsequent growth and development in nine accessions of B. rapa and one accession of Brassica juncea selected for their wide morphological and genetic diversity. We measured leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, water use, and leaf and bud temperatures during the stress period and aboveground dry weight of total biomass at maturity. Dry weight of seeds and reproductive tissue were not useful measures of drought tolerance due to self‐incompatibility in B. rapa. The relative total biomass (used as the measure of drought tolerance in this study) of the 10 accessions exposed to drought stress ranged from 47 % to 117 % of the WW treatment and was negatively correlated with leaf‐to‐air and bud‐to‐air temperature difference when averaged across the 13‐day stress period. Two wild‐type (B. rapa ssp. sylvestris) accessions had higher relative total and non‐reproductive biomass at maturity and cooler leaves and buds than other types. We conclude that considerable genotypic variation for drought tolerance exists in B. rapa and cooler leaves and buds during a transient drought stress in the early reproductive phase may be a useful screening tool for drought tolerance.     

柑橘CHS基因序列多态性及表达水平对类黄酮生物合成的影响

查尔酮的合成是类黄酮生物合成途径中的一个关键节点。从10个柑橘种质中克隆了查尔酮合成酶(chalcone synthase,CHS)基因,并对其不同时期的果实和叶片中的类黄酮含量进行了测定,分析了CHS基因的序列多态性与类黄酮含量之间的关系;同时通过qRT-PCR检测了CHS基因在不同种质之间以及同一种质的不同组织间的表达差异。结果表明,柑橘CHS基因的核苷酸序列高度保守,相似度达98%以上。聚类分析表明,CHS氨基酸序列的多态性有物种特异性,而且与类黄酮含量有一定的相关性。CHS基因的表达水平在不同种质、部位及生长发育时期有显著差异,这些差异与类黄酮的含量有显著的相关性,说明CHS基因对类黄酮的生物合成有明显影响。