Determination of Cyanogenic Compounds in Edible Plants by Ion Chromatography

Cyanogenic glycosides are HCN-producing phytotoxins; HCN is a powerful and a rapidly acting poison. It is not difficult to find plants containing these compounds in the food supply and/or in medicinal herb collections. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution of total cyanide in nine genera (Dolichos, Ginkgo, Hordeum, Linum, Phaseolus, Prunus, Phyllostachys, Phytolacca, and Portulaca) of edible plants and the effect of the processing on cyanide concentration. Total cyanide content was measured by ion chromatography following acid hydrolysis and distillation. Kernels of Prunus genus are used medicinally, but they possess the highest level of total cyanide of up to 2259.81 CN-/g dry weight. Trace amounts of cyanogenic compounds were detected in foodstuffs such as mungbeans and bamboo shoots. Currently, except for the WHO guideline for cassava, there is no global standard for the allowed amount of cyanogenic compounds in foodstuffs. However, our data emphasize the need for the guidelines if plants containing cyanogenic glycosidesare to be developed as dietary supplements.

Hypoglycemic effects of vanadium on alloxan monohydrate induced diabetic dogs

The hypoglycemic effects after oral administration of vanadium have been studied previously in many species such as rats, mice and even humans. However, there has been no prior report on the glucose lowering effect of vanadium on diabetic dogs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the hypoglycemic effects of oral vanadium on diabetic dogs. Diabetes mellitus in the dogs studied was induced by alloxan monohydrate intravenous injection. The dogs were divided into two groups, one was the diabetic control (DC) group (n = 4) and the other was the vanadium treated (DV) group (n = 6). Fresh water was supplied to the dogs in the DC group, but sodium metavanadate solution (0.1~0.2 mg/ml) was given to the dogs in DV group from one week after the alloxan injection. The fasting glucose levels, fructosamine and serum chemistry profiles were compared between the two groups weekly for three weeks. The fasting blood glucose levels in DV group were significantly lower than those in the DC group (p < 0.01). Fructosamine levels in the DV group were also lower than those in the DC group (p < 0.05). The serum chemistry profiles were not significantly different in comparisons between the two groups. However, the cholesterol levels were significantly lower in the DV group compared to the DC group (p < 0.05). Our findings showed that oral vanadium administration had a hypoglycemic effect on chemically induced diabetic dogs.

Molecular cloning of the cDNA of canine homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2

The research of p53 is being conducted to find the mechanisms of tumorigenesis and to treat various cancers. Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase2 (HIPK2) is an important factor to regulate p53 and to increase the stability of p53. Activation of HIPK2 leads to the selective phosphorylation of p53, resulting in growth arrest and the enhancement of apoptosis. In this study, the canine HIPK2 cDNA fragments were obtained, and their overlapping regions were aligned to give a total sequence of 3489 bp. The canine HIPK2 cDNA (GenBank accession number; AY800385) shares 93% and 90% sequence identity with those of human and mouse HIPK2, respectively. The canine HIPK2 cDNA contains an open reading frame encoding 1163 amino acid residues and the predicted amino acid sequence has 98% and 96% identity with those of human and mouse, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequence of canine HIPK2 has also all domains' sites compared with human and mouse HIPK2. Therefore, these structural similarities suggested that the canine HIPK2 shares the basic biological functions that HIPK2 exhibit in other species.

Comparison of Nutrient Intakes, Bone Metabolism and Risk Factors of Chronic Diseases between Postmenopausal Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian and Omnivores in Kyunggi-Do / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The amount and type of dietary protein that effects affect bone mineral loss after menopause and different dietary patterns may influence anthropometric measurements, biochemical values, and bone metabolism. Objective : Our objective was to investigate bone metabolism and chronic disease factors in two different dietary patterns. Design: The sample consisted of 40 lacto-ove-vegetarians(LOV) and 49 omnivores aged from 47 to 85 years in good condition without any medical problems. Results : The average energy intake of LOV was 1414.0 kcal and omnivores, 1403.2 kcal. The difference between means was not statistically significant. The differences of means of body weight and BMI between the two groups were not significant but the systolic blood pressure of LOV group was significantly lower than omniovores(p0.05) and plant iron(p0.05) and animal iron(p>0.05) had negative correlations with the urinary pH. The level of urinary biochemical marker of bone resorption, deoxpyidinoline(DPD) of LOV was significantly lower than the other group(p>0.05). The T-scores of bone mineral density for the two sites in the two groups were not significantly different. Conclusions : The DPD level and urinary pH value of LOV were more desirable for the bone metabolism that the omnivores. The diet of LOV had lower risk factors of chronic diseases than the other group.