Combined effect of humic acid and vetiver grass on remediation of cadmium-polluted water.

Effective treatment of water pollution is an economic and social requirement globally. Humic acid (HA) is a popular mitigator for such waters. However, the combined effect of HA and restorative plants on cadmium (Cd) remediation is not well understood. Therefore, we experimented on Cd remediation using HA along with vetiver grass and HA-vetiver grass. We observed that vetiver grass effectively removed Cd at 15～30 mg/L. The accumulation capacity of the root was significantly higher than the shoots (P < 0.05), and Cd distribution followed the trend: cell wall > organelle > soluble substance (F1 > F2 > F3). The plant's accumulation capacity against 25 mg/L Cd was higher than for other treatments. The root accumulation capacity was much higher (702.3 mg/L) than those without added HA. However, upon adding 200 and 250 mg/L HA, the phytoremediation of Cd in the root and shoot significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Conversely, HA improved the Cd removal efficiency of the plants, notably at a lower HA concentration (150 mg/L). In addition, HA (especially at 150 mg/L) influences Cd distribution in vetiver cells (P < 0.05) and can significantly increase the proportion of Cd in the root cytoplasm. Consequently, a low HA concentration can significantly improve Cd accumulation in the vetiver, shorten the metal's bioremediation cycle, and improve the biological absorption efficiency.

Eriodictyol ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in APP/PS1 mice by inhibiting ferroptosis via vitamin D receptor-mediated Nrf2 activation.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of neurodegenerative disease in the contemporary era, and it is still clinically incurable. Eriodictyol, a natural flavonoid compound that is mainly present in citrus fruits and some Chinese herbal medicines, has been reported to exert anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer and neuroprotective effects. However, few studies have examined the anti-AD effect and molecular mechanism of eriodictyol. METHODS: APP/PS1 mice were treated with eriodictyol and the cognitive function of mice was assessed using behavioral tests. The level of amyloid-ß (Aß) aggregation and hyperphosphorylation of Tau in the mouse brain were detected by preforming a histological analysis and Western blotting. HT-22 cells induced by amyloid-ß peptide (1-42) (Aß1-42) oligomers were treated with eriodictyol, after which cell viability was determined and the production of p-Tau was tested using Western blotting. Then, the characteristics of ferroptosis, including iron aggregation, lipid peroxidation and the expression of glutathione peroxidase type 4 (GPX4), were determined both in vivo and in vitro using Fe straining, Western blotting and qPCR assays. Additionally, the expression level of vitamin D receptor (VDR) and the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 (Nrf2/HO-1) signaling pathway were tested using Western blotting and qPCR assays. Afterward, HT-22 cells with VDR knockout were used to explore the potential mechanisms, and the relationship between VDR and Nrf2 was further assessed by performing a coimmunoprecipitation assay and bioinformatics analysis. RESULTS: Eriodictyol obviously ameliorated cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 mice, and suppressed Aß aggregation and Tau phosphorylation in the brains of APP/PS1 mice. Moreover, eriodictyol inhibited Tau hyperphosphorylation and neurotoxicity in HT-22 cells induced by Aß1-42 oligomer. Furthermore, eriodictyol exerted an antiferroptosis effect both in vivo and in vitro, and its mechanism may be associated with the activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. Additionally, further experiments explained that the activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway by eriodictyol treatment mediated by VDR. CONCLUSIONS: Eriodictyol alleviated memory impairment and AD-like pathological changes by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway through a mechanism mediated by VDR, which provides a new possibility for the treatment of AD.

Postharvest biochemical characteristics and ultrastructure of Coprinus comatus.

BACKGROUND: Coprinus comatus is a novel cultivated edible fungus, hailed as a new preeminent breed of mushroom. However, C. comatus is difficult to keep fresh at room temperature after harvest due to high respiration, browning, self-dissolve and lack of physical protection. METHODS: In order to extend the shelf life of C. comatus and reduce its loss in storage, changes in quality, biochemical content, cell wall metabolism and ultrastructure of C. comatus (C.c77) under 4 °C and 90% RH storage regimes were investigated in this study. RESULTS: The results showed that: (1) After 10 days of storage, mushrooms appeared acutely browning, cap opening and flowing black juice, rendering the mushrooms commercially unacceptable. (2) The activity of SOD, CAT, POD gradually increased, peaked at the day 10, up to 31.62 U g-1 FW, 16.51 U g-1 FW, 0.33 U g-1 FW, respectively. High SOD, CAT, POD activity could be beneficial in protecting cells from ROS-induced injuries, alleviating lipid peroxidation and stabilizing membrane integrity. (3) The activities of chitinase, ß-1,3-glucanase were significantly increased. Higher degrees of cell wall degradation observed during storage might be due to those enzymes' high activities. (4) The fresh C. comatus had dense tissue and every single cell had the number of intracellular organelles which structure can be observed clearly. After 10 d storage, the number of intracellular organelles was declined and the structure was fuzzy, the nucleus disappeared. After 20 d storage, C. comatus's organization was completely lost, many cells were stacked together and the cell wall was badly damaged.

Comparative study on the composition of four different varieties of garlic.

Garlic is used as a medicinal seasoning worldwide. The aim of this work was to compare four varieties of garlic: 'Taicangbaipi', 'Ershuizao', 'Hongqixing', and 'Single-clove'; among them, 'Ershuizao' and 'Hongqixing' are unique to the Sichuan Province of China. Firstly, soluble sugar, starch, and the protein content of the garlic were analysed. There was more soluble sugar in 'Single-clove', total starch in 'Hongqixing', and protein content in 'Ershuizao' relative to the other three varieties, respectively. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that 'Ershuizao' and 'Hongqixing' contained high levels of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, which has antitumor, antioxidant, and cytoprotective effects. Indeed, the extracts from these two types of garlic were more effective at inhibiting tumour growth than that from the others. Moreover, the sulphide content and antimicrobial effects of 'Ershuizao' and 'Hongqixing' garlic were also higher than those of the other two types of garlic. In addition, changes observed in the membrane permeability and protein leakage suggest that the antimicrobial activity of the 'Ershuizao' and 'Hongqixing' extracts may be due to the destruction of the structural integrity of the cell membranes, leading to cell death.

[Screening, identification and antimicrobial activity of alkaloid produced by endophytic actinomycetes from Fritillaria unibracteata in western Sichuan plateau].

To explore the resource of endophytic actinomycete in Fritillaria unibracteata, and alleviate the shortage of F. unibracteata resource, using F. unibracteata as experimental materials which growth in the western Sichuan plateau and cut its healthy bulb. Pure culture, insert, TLC and Oxford cup were applied to observe the mycelial morphology, research the ability of producing alkaloid and its antibacterial activity. Totally, 14 endophytic actinomycete strains were isolated by using Gao culture media. Based on the color reaction, 5 typical strains were selected for producing alkaloid. Through the TLC technique, all strains produced 2 obvious alkaloids spots. Antibacterial activity determination showed that the antimicrobial effects of 2 strains is prominent, the diameter up to 11 mm.16S rRNA gene sequence comparison analysis showed that 5 strains belonging to the Streptomyces. The alkaloids produced by endophytic actinomycetes are not related to F. unibracteata, but its fermentation liquid has antibacterial effect, it is worthy of further study.

[Screening of antifungi endophytic actinomyces strains from salvia przewalskii in Tibean Plateau].

Twenty-four endophytic actinomycetes strains were isolated from the Salvia przewalskii in Tibetan Plateau of China by tablet coating method. Fusarium moniliforme, Helminthosporium turcicum and Bipolaris maydis were selected as indicator fungi to test the antimicrobial activities of these endophytic actinomycetes by tablet confrontation method. The results showed that 21 strains can produce antimicrobial substances which accounts for 85.7% of the total separates number. Four strains of endogenous actinomyces have more obvious antifungi activity. According to results of morphology and culture properties and 16S rDNA sequences of endophytic actinomyces, it is concluded that all of the isolates were streptomycetes trains.