Polysaccharide of Alocasia cucullata Exerts Antitumor Effect by Regulating Bcl-2, Caspase-3 and ERK1/2 Expressions during Long-Time Administration / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects of the polysaccharide of Alocasia cucullata (PAC) and the underlying mechanism.@*METHODS@#B16F10 and 4T1 cells were cultured with PAC of 40 µg/mL, and PAC was withdrawn after 40 days of administration. The cell viability was detected by cell counting kit-8. The expression of Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 proteins were detected by Western blot and the expressions of ERK1/2 mRNA were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). A mouse melanoma model was established to study the effect of PAC during long-time administration. Mice were divided into 3 treatment groups: control group treated with saline water, positive control group (LNT group) treated with lentinan at 100 mg/(kg·d), and PAC group treated with PAC at 120 mg/(kg·d). The pathological changes of tumor tissues were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The apoptosis of tumor tissues was detected by TUNEL staining. Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 protein expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the expressions of ERK1/2, JNK1 and p38 mRNA were detected by qRT-PCR.@*RESULTS@#In vitro, no strong inhibitory effects of PAC were found in various tumor cells after 48 or 72 h of administration. Interestingly however, after 40 days of cultivation under PAC, an inhibitory effect on B16F10 cells was found. Correspondingly, the long-time administration of PAC led to downregulation of Bcl-2 protein (P<0.05), up-regulation of Caspase-3 protein (P<0.05) and ERK1 mRNA (P<0.05) in B16F10 cells. The above results were verified by in vivo experiments. In addition, viability of B16F10 cells under long-time administration culture in vitro decreased after drug withdrawal, and similar results were also observed in 4T1 cells.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Long-time administration of PAC can significantly inhibit viability and promote apoptosis of tumor cells, and had obvious antitumor effect in tumor-bearing mice.

Antiproliferative piperidine alkaloids from giant taro (Alocasia macrorrhiza) / 中国天然药物

The rhizome of giant taro (Alocasia macrorrhiza (L.) Schott), which is a highly adaptable wild plant, is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. In the current study, the antiproliferative constituents of giant taro were investigated and six new (1-6) and four known piperidine alkaloids (7-10) were isolated from its rhizomes. Their chemical structures and absolute configurations were elucidated using various spectroscopic methods and the Mosher ester method. The isolated alkaloids were screened for the antiproliferative activity through MTT assay. The results indicated that piperidine alkaloids exerted potential antiproliferative activity against HepG2, AGS and MCF-7 tumor cells. Further researches showed that compounds 3-5 dose-dependently decreased the colony formation rate and induced the apoptosis of AGS cells, while compound 4 induced AGS cell death via the proapoptotic pathway. This study demonstrates that the piperidine alkaloids isolated from giant taro exhibit significant antitumor activity, which provides phytochemical evidence for further development and utilization.

Preliminary pharmacological evaluation of Alocasia indica Schott tuber / 中西医结合学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To elucidate potential antioxidant, antidiarrheal, cytotoxic, and antibacterial activities of the ethanol extract of Alocasia indica Schott tuber in different experimental models established in vitro and in vivo.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay. Phenolic content was estimated by using Folin-Ciocalteu's reagent while reducing ability was measured by ferric reducing power assay. In vivo antidiarrheal studies were carried out in mice, and the activity was evaluated in castor oil and magnesium sulfate-induced diarrhea. Disk diffusion assay was utilized to determine antibacterial activity against a number of pathogenic bacterial strains. Acute toxicity test was carried out to measure the safe doses for the extract.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In DPPH radical-scavenging assay, the extract exhibited strong radical-scavenging activity with the 50% inhibitory concentration value of 42.66 μg/mL. Total phenolic content was found to be 542.26 mg gallic acid equivalent per 100 g of dried tuber extract, whereas flavonoid content was found to be 4.30 mg quercetin equivalent/g of dried tuber extract. In reducing power assay, the extract showed strong reducing power in a concentration-dependent manner. The extract significantly (P < 0.01) enhanced the latent period and decreased defecation in both castor oil- and magnesium sulfate-induced diarrhea. The extract also lessened gastrointestinal motility in mice. Potential antibacterial activity was exhibited by the extract against all the tested bacterial strains in disk diffusion assay. The 50% lethal concentration against brine shrimp nauplii was 81.09 μg/mL.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results demonstrated that the ethanol extract of A. indica has potential antioxidant, antidiarrheal, cytotoxic, and antibacterial activity.</p>

Two Cases of Alocasia Intoxication

Alocasia was originally distributed throughout subtropical and tropical areas. Recently, in Korea, it has been used in air cleaners and in control of humidity. Despite easy access in Korea, there are few reports on Alocasia toxicity. We report on two cases of Alocasia intoxication. One patient was a 16-month-old male, who was admitted with a complaint of irritability after biting leaves of Alocasia. Four hours later, he was discharged without any symptoms. Another patient, a 52-year-old female, complained of oral pain, numbness on the perioral area, dysphonia, swallowing difficulty, and chest and abdominal pain after eating root stuck of alocasia odora. She underwent gastrointestinal fibroscopy (GIF) due to lasting chest and abdominal pain. Finding on GIF showed erythema and swelling in the aryepiglottic fold and larynx. Her symptoms lasted 13 days; she was then discharged without any complications or sequelae.

Produção e renda de taro Macaquinho, solteiro e consorciado comalface 'Salad Bowl', em solo com cobertura de cama-de-frango semidecomposta / 'Macaquinho' taro in monocrop system and intercropped with 'SaladBowl' lettuce in soil with chicken manure mulching

Este trabalho teve como objetivos estudar a produtividade e a renda do taro ‘Macaquinho, em cultivo solteiro e consorciado com a alface mimosa ‘Salad Bowl’, em solo sem (SCF) ou com (CCF) cobertura com cama-defrango (10 t ha-1). A colheita da alface foi feita aos 64 dias após a semeadura e a do taro aos 199 dias após o plantio. Na alface obtiveram-se baixos valores para plantas com “cabeças” comerciais (média de 15.830 “cabeças” ha-1) e altos para as não comerciais (média de 89.160 “cabeças” ha-1). No taro, as maiores produções de folhas (4,89 t ha-1), rizomas-mãe (6,46 t ha-1), rizomas-filho comerciais (15,33 t ha-1) e não-comerciais (9,73 t ha-1) foram obtidas nas plantas sob cultivo solteiro e cultivadas em solo CCF. A razão de área equivalente (RAE) para o consórcio taro-alface, em solo CCF foi de 1,47 e a do consórcio em solo SCF foi de 1,82. As rendas bruta e líquida mostraram que no taro foi melhor o cultivo solteiro em solo CCF (R$ 18.936,00 e R$ 17.596,00, respectivamente). Para alface, foi melhor o consórcio com taro, em solo CCF (R$ 18.024,00 e R$ 17.224,00, respectivamente). A maior RAE não induziu as maiores rendas bruta e líquida.

This work had as aim to study yield and income of ‘Macaquinho’ taro in monocrop system and intercropped with ‘Salad Bowl’ mimosa lettuce in soil without (SCF) or with (CCF) mulching with chicken manure (10 t ha-1). Lettuce harvest was done on 64 days after sowing and taro harvest on 199 days after planting. For lettuce it was obtained low values for plants with commercial heads (average of 15,830heads ha-1) and high values for non-commercial heads (average of 89,160 heads ha-1). For taro, the highest yields of leaves (4.89 t ha-1), corms (6.46 t ha-1), commercial (15.33 t ha-1) and non-commercial (9.73 t ha-1) cormels were obtained in plants under monocrop system and that were cultivated in CCF soil. Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) for taro/lettuce intercropping, in CCF soil, was 1.47 and of intercropping in SCF soil was 1.82. Gross and net income showed that for taro it was better to use of monocrop system in CCF soil (R$ 18,936.00 and R$ 17,596.00, respectively). For lettuce, it was better to use intercrop system with taro in CCF soil (R$ 18,024.00 and 17,224.00, respectively). The highest LER did not induce the highest gross and net income.

Otimização da desidratação osmótica de inhame (Colocasia esculenta) para fritura / Optimization of the osmotic dehydration of taro (Colocasia eusculenta) FOR FRYING

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo estudar as condições ótimas para desidratação osmótica de inhame (Colocasia esculenta), submetido ao congelamento e fritura. Amostras provenientes das tres melhores condições de desidratação osmótica e uma amostra controle foram avaliadas sensorialmente. Os resulados mostraram desidratação máxima acima de 15 por cento da massa inicial, sob as seguintes condições: concentração de 8 g de cloreto de sódio e 60 g de sacarose por 100mL de solução durante 50 minutos de contato e temperaturas de 30, 60 e 70ºC. A avaliação sensorial mostrou que o inhame frito pode constituir nova alternativa para o mercado consumidor de inhame e que a desidratação osmótica influenciou beneficamente suas características

Produção e composição nutritiva de taro em função do propágulo, em solo hidromórfico do Pantanal Sul-Mato-Grossense / Yield and nutritive components of taro as a function of propagule type in a hydromorfic soil of South Mato grosso Pantanal

O objetivo do trabalho foi determinar a produtividade e a composição nutritiva dos rizonas de taro, em condições de solo hidromórfico do pantanal sul-mato-grossense. Foram avaliados os taros Chinês e Macaquinho, propagados por rizomas das classes grande e pequena, como tipos inteiros e cortados no meio, arranjados em esquema fatorial 2x2x2, no delineamento experimental de blocos casualizados, com quatro repetições. A população final, altura das plantas e massa fresca das folhas e dos rizomas-mãe do taro Chinês foi significativamente superior à do macaquinho. Quanto ás classes de propágulos utilizados para a propagação, foi melhor o uso de rizomas grandes. O uso de rizomas inteiros foi significativamente melhor que dos rizomas cortados quanto à população final e produção de massa fresca dos rizomas mãe (RM) e semelhantes para altura das plantas e produções de massa fresca de folhas e dos rizomas-filho (RF). Em relação à composição nutritiva dos rizomas, os RM e os RF tiveram teores caracterísitcos do clone. Os RM e RF dos dois clones apresentaram maiores teores de resíduo mineral fixo, proteínas e carboidratos e menores teores de lipídeos e de fibras, assim como de valor calórico total-VCT, que os domilho. Os RM e RF dos dois clones tiveram menores teores de lipídeos, carboidratos e VCT em relação à farinha de trigo

The objective of this work was to determine yield and nutritive components of taro rhizomes inhydromorfic soil conditions of South Mato Grosso Pantanal. Chinês and Macaquinho taroswere evaluated. They were propagated by rhizomes of big and small classes, as whole and halftypes, arranged as 2 x 2 x 2 factorial scheme in randomized block experimental design, with four replications. Final population, plant height and fresh mass of leaves and of corms of Chinêstaro were significantly superior than 'Macaquinho'. Regarding to propagule classes used forpropagation, big rhizome was the best. The use of whole rhizomes was significantly better thancut rhizomes regarding to final population and yield of fresh mass of corms (RM) and it wassimilar for plant height and yield of fresh mass of leaves and of cormels (RF). In relation tonutritive compound of rhizomes, RM and RF had contents which were characteristics of theclone. RM and RF of both two clones showed higher contents of fix mineral residue, proteinsand carbohydrates and they have smaller contents of lipids and of fibers, as well of total caloricvalue, than of corn. RM and RF of both two clones had smaller contents of lipids, carbohydratesand TCV in relation to wheat flour