Taguchi approach for anti-heat stress prescription compatibility in mice spleen lymphocytes in vitro.

Heat stress (HS) may induce immunosuppression as well as inhibit the proliferation of lymphocytes. This study evaluated the effects on immune function of our prescription on splenic lymphocytes under HS as well as its compatibility. The effects of four herbal extracts from Agastache rugosa, Atractylodes lancea, Cortex Phellodendri, and Gypsum Fibrosum on heat treated splenic lymphocytes were investigated and the compatibility of the prescription was also explored by using the Taguchi method. This study revealed changes in proliferation by traditional Chinese medicines of splenic lymphocytes after HS. Proliferation in the HS group was significantly lower than the control group. Under HS, the effects of higher concentrations of Agastache rugosa (100 and 200 µg/mL), Atractylodes lancea (100 and 200 µg/mL), Cortex Phellodendri (50 and 100 µg/mL) and Gypsum Fibrosum (100 and 200 µg/mL) caused a significant increase on ConA/LPS-induced proliferation of lymphocytes than lower concentrations. We, therefore, conclude that the prescription of traditional Chinese medicines may recover splenic lymphocytes from the immunosuppression induced by HS. The Taguchi design, which allows rapid and high efficiency for the selection of the best conditions for our prescription on HS-treated splenic lymphocytes, demonstrated that Agastache rugosa (200 µg/mL), Atractylodes lancea (200 µg/mL), Cortex Phellodendri (100 µg/mL) and Gypsum Fibrosum (100 µg/mL) were the optimal conditions for the prescription. The validation experiment confirmed that our composition in optimum extraction conditions enhanced effects on ConA or LPS-stimulated lymphocytes under HS. The results showed that the Taguchi optimization approach is a suitable method for optimization of the composition of prescription.

[Effects of Tagetes erecta extracts on glutathione S-transferase and protease activities and protein content in Tetranychus viennensis].

With in vivo and in vitro Tagetes erecta roots under light and dark as test materials, this paper studied the effects of their extracts on the glutathione S-transferase and protease activities and protein content in Tetranychus viennensis. The results showed that the chloroform extract of T. erecta roots had the highest light-activated activity, followed by water extract, and methanol extract. After treated with chloroform extract, the glutathione S-transferase and protease activities in T. viennensis increased markedly, while its protein content decreased obviously. The variation degree of T. viennensis protease activity and protein content was significantly higher when the chloroform extract came from the T. erecta roots under light, suggesting that there existed active matters in the extract, which could promote the activation of protease, and thus, the decomposition of protein in T. viennensis. The bioactivity of T. erecta metabolites was mainly of light-activated one.

[Population structure and niche of main scale insects in jujube orchards intercropped with wheat].

To effectively control the scale insects in jujube orchards, a field study was made on the population structure and niche of Pseudococcus comstock Kuwane, Ceroplastes japonicus Green and Quadraspidiotus perniciosus Comstock in the jujube orchards intercropped with wheat in Taigu area of Shanxi Province. The results showed that at the early development stage of jujube trees, these three kinds of scale insects mainly distributed on the southeast direction of the lower and central parts of the tree crown, and P. comstock was the dominant species, with a wider breadth of two-dimensional temporal-spatial niche than the other two scale insects. At the mid-stage of jujube trees development, these scale insects mainly distributed on the northwest direction of the upper part of the tree crown, C. japonicus had a wider breadth of two-dimensional temporal-spatial niche than the other two scale insects, and the niche proportional similarity and interspecific competition of the three kinds of scale insects were not obvious. At the later stage of jujube trees development, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the population structure of the three kinds of scale insects on the different parts and directions of tree crown, but the density of Q. perniciosus was bigger, and C. japonicus had a wider breadth of two-dimensional temporal-spatial niche. The average values of niche proportional similarity and interspecific competition of the three kinds of scale insects were smaller (P < 0.05) at the later development stage of jujube trees. Therefore, P. comstock should be controlled at the early development stage of jujube trees, all the three kinds of scale insects should be controlled selectively at the mid-stage of jujube trees development, and their overwinterings should be decreased by all means at the later development stage of jujube trees.

[Community structure and its dynamics of predatory arthropod in jujube orchards intercropped with different herbage species].

By using community structural characteristic indices and principal component analysis, this paper studied the community structure and its dynamics of predatory arthropod in the jujube orchards intercropped with Astrugalus complanatus, Trifolium repen, Lotus comiculotus, and Medicago sativa. The results showed that in all test jujube orchards, spider and predatory insects were the predominant components of the predatory arthropod community, and their relative abundances were 48.3% - 52.7% and 38.8% - 44.4% , respectively. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) in the mean density, diversity, and evenness of the most common predatory arthropod groups in the jujube orchards intercropped with different herbage species, with the sequence of intercropped with Lotus comiculotus > Medicago sativa > Astrugalus complanatu > Trifolium repens, but for dominant concentration index, the sequence was intercropped with Trifolium repens > Astrugalus complanatu > Medicago sativa > Lotus comiculotus. The average density of predatory spiders was significant higher (P < 0.05) than that of predatory insects in all test jujube orchards. The individuals of Coccinellidae, Pentatomidae, inoccllidae, Chrysopidae, Thomisidae, Araneidae and Phytoseiidae played the dominant role in the community.