Effect of Vigna radiata, Tamarix ramosissima and Carthamus lanatus extracts on Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica: An in vitro study / 中草药·英文版

Objective: Current therapy strategies of leishmaniasis have some problems such as high cost, toxicity and side effects. Plant extracts can be a source of drugs to control leishmaniasis. In this study, the effect of hydroalcoholic and chloroformic extracts of Vigna radiata, Tamarix ramosissima, and Carthamus lanatus on Leishmania major and L. tropica was studied. Methods: The plant samples were collected from west of Iran and their extracts were prepared. Anti-promastigote activity assay of all extracts was done using tetrazolium-dye assay. Results: Only high concentrations of V. radiata and C. lanatus were able to inhibit Leishmania, while both high and low concentrations of T. ramosissima had antileishmanial effect. No difference was observed between hydroalcoholic with chloroformic extract of each plant. Conclusion: Altogether, the results revealed the antileishmanial activity of T. ramosissima extracts against L. major and L. tropica, indicating its potential as an antileishmanial agent.

A whole-transcriptome approach to evaluate reference genes for quantitative diurnal gene expression studies under natural field conditions in Tamarix ramosissima leaves

Background: Tamarix ramosissima is a desert forest tree species that is widely distributed in the drought-stricken areas to sustain the fragile ecosystem. Owing to its wide usage in the desert restoration of Asia, it can be used as an ecophysiological model plant. To obtain reliable and accurate results, a set of reference genes should be screened before gene expression. However, up to date, systematical evaluation of reference genes has not been conducted in T. ramosissima. Results: In this study, we used eigenvalues derived from principal component analysis to identify stable expressed genes from 72,035 unigenes from diurnal transcriptomes under natural field conditions. With combined criteria of read counts above 900 and CV of FPKM below 0.3, a total of 7385 unigenes could be qualified as candidate reference genes in T. ramosissima. By using three statistical algorithm packages, geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper, the stabilities of these novel reference genes were further compared with a panel of traditional reference genes. The expression patterns of three aquaporins (AQPs) suggested that at least UBQ (high expression), EIF4A2 (low expression), and GAPDH (moderate expression) could be qualified as ideal reference genes in both RT-PCR and RNA-seq analysis of T. ramosissima. Conclusions: This work will not only facilitate future studies on gene expression and functional analysis of genetic resources of desert plants but also improve our understanding of the molecular regulation of water transport in this plant, which could provide a new clue to further investigate the drought adaptation mechanism of desert plant species under harsh environments.

Influence of Extract from T. Ramosissima on the Skin-wounded Mice / 浙江中医药大学学报

[Objective]To research the effect of acetic ether extract from T. ramosissima on the skin-wounded mice. [Methods]The acetic ether extract of T. ramosissima was administrated to skin-wounded mice by gavage methods. [Results] The experimental groups in different dosages had significant difference ,compared to the control group, with the areas of wound healing 17.68 mm2, 17.90 mm2, 20.18 mm2 and 31.48 mm2,after the acetic ether extract of T. ramosissima administration to skin-wounded mice by gavage methods. [Conclusions] It was suggested that the acetic ether extract of T. ramosissima had some protective effects on improving the wound healing.

Study on Volatile Constituents from Tamarix ramosissima / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a quantitative analysis of volatile constituents from Tamarix ramosissima.METHODS: The volatile constituents were extracted from T.ramosissima using solid phase microextraction and identified using GC-MS combined with Kvotas retention index.RESULTS: 34 constituents were separated from T.ramosissima and 25 constituents were identified.The relative mass content of volatile constituents was determined by peak area normalization method,accounting for 89.50% of total peak area.The main chemical constituents were pentadecane (16.83%),nonanal (12.45%),hexadecane (8.20%),tetradecane (8.08%) and hexanal (7.37%).The result showed hydrocarbon (37.11%),aldehyde (27.56%),ketone (8.89%) and alcohol (8.04%) were the main constituents.CONCLUSION: The study can provide scientific basis for the further development of T.ramosissima.