Exogenous strigolactones alleviate drought stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by promoting cell wall biogenesis to optimize root architecture.

Exogenous strigolactones (SLs, GR24) are widely used to alleviate drought stress in wheat. The physiological and biochemical mechanisms via which SLs help overcome drought stress in wheat shoots have been reported; however, the mechanisms in wheat roots are unclear. The present study explored the effects of the exogenous application of SLs on wheat roots' growth and molecular responses under drought stress using physiological analysis and RNA-seq. RNA-seq of roots showed that SLs mainly upregulated signal transduction genes (SIS8, CBL3, GLR2.8, LRK10L-2.4, CRK29, and CRK8) and transcription factors genes (ABR1, BHLH61, and MYB93). Besides, SLs upregulated a few downstream target genes, including antioxidant genes (PER2, GSTF1, and GSTU6), cell wall biogenesis genes (SUS4, ADF3, UGT13248, UGT85A24, UGT709G2, BGLU31, and LAC5), an aquaporin-encoding gene (TIP4-3), and dehydrin-encoding genes (DHN2, DHN3, and DHN4). As a result, SLs reduced oxidative damage, optimized root architecture, improved leaf-water relation, and alleviated drought damage. Thus, the present study provides novel insights into GR24-mediated drought stress management and a scientific basis for proposing GR24 application.

In situ doping lignin-derived carbon quantum dots on magnetic hydrotalcite for enhanced degradation of Congo Red over a wide pH range and simultaneous removal of heavy metal ions.

A new N, S-CQDs@Fe3O4@HTC composite was prepared by loading N, S carbon quantum dots (N, S-CQDs) derived from lignin on magnetic hydrotalcite (HTC) via an in-situ growth method. The characterization results showed that the catalyst had a mesoporous structure. These pores facilitate the diffusion and mass transfer of pollutant molecules inside the catalyst, allowing them to approach the active site smoothly. The catalyst performed well in the UV degradation of Congo red (CR) over a wide pH range (3-11), with efficiencies over 95.43 % in all cases. Even at a high NaCl content (100 g/L), the catalyst showed extraordinary CR degradation (99.30 %). ESR analysis and free radical quenching experiments demonstrated that OH and O2- were the main active species governing CR degradation. Besides, the composite had outstanding removal efficiency for Cu2+ (99.90 %) and Cd2+ (85.08 %) simultaneously due to the electrostatic attraction between the HTC and metal ions. Moreover, the N, S-CQDs@Fe3O4@HTC had excellent stability and recyclability during five cycles, making it free of secondary contamination. This work provides a new environment-friendly catalyst for the simultaneous removal of multiple pollutants and a waste-to-waste strategy for the value-added utilization of lignin.

Lignin microparticles-reinforced cellulose filter paper for simultaneous removal of emulsified oils and dyes.

The presence of multiple pollutants in wastewater, often with complex interactions, poses a significant challenge for conventional membranes to effectively remove multiple pollutants simultaneously. Herein, a lignin microparticles-reinforced cellulose filter paper (FP@AL-LS-DA) was fabricated via an aldol condensation between lignin and cellulose filter paper and cross-linking with dopamine hydrochloride (DA), which showed desired rejection of oil-in-water emulsions and dyes. Characterizations revealed that the addition of lignin and DA effectively narrowed the pore size (from 4.45 µm to 2.01 µm) and enhanced the rigidity and stability of the cellulose filter paper, thus making it not easily damaged in the water environment and showing excellent tolerance to strong acid and high-salt environments. The oil-in-water emulsions removal efficiency was higher than 99 % even after ten times usage, and the oil flux was kept stable at 52.54 L·m-2·h-1, indicating that FP@AL-LS-DA had outstanding reusability and stability. Remarkably, FP@AL-LS-DA showed excellent removal efficiency (>99 %) for complex pollutants containing dyes and oil-in-water emulsions. In this work, we demonstrate a lignin microparticles-reinforced cellulose filter paper that is simple to prepare and can efficiently separate oil-in-water emulsions and remove dyes.

3D porous N-doped lignosulfonate/graphene oxide aerogel for efficient solar steam generation and desalination.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation has been considered one of the most promising approaches to tackle the issue of water scarcity. The salt resistance and water transport capacity of solar evaporation materials are essential to evaluate desalination performance. Herein, a 3D-porous N-doped lignosulfonate/graphene oxide (GO) aerogel (NLGA) was facilely prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method. By introducing ethylenediamine (EDA) as a nitrogen source, the wettability and water transport capacity of the aerogel were enhanced; by introducing lignosulfonate (LS), its porous structure was regulated, and its light absorption capability was significantly improved. The obtained aerogel exhibited an outstanding evaporation rate (1.57 kg m-2 h-1) and efficiency (95.2 %) under 1 sun illumination, which is significantly better than some reported foam-based solar evaporators. In addition, NLGA maintained a stable evaporation rate over long-term cyclic evaporation without visible salt accumulation on the surface. The good salt rejection performance is due to the rich-pore structure and superhydrophilicity of NGLA, which provides sufficient water supply to dissolve the salts during water evaporation. NLGA has enormous potential as a solar evaporator based on its excellent performance in solar vapor generation.

NtCOMT1 responsible for phytomelatonin biosynthesis confers drought tolerance in Nicotiana tabacum.

Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) is one of the most important industrial crops and its productivity is vulnerable to drought, particularly in Yunnan province, China due to the long water-deficit spring. Here, we aimed at identifying caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) in melatonin biosynthesis to provide genetic resources against drought tolerance of tobacco. The integration of the genome-wide identification, phylogenetic relationships, and conserved domain/motif analysis revealed that NtCOMT1 could be the probable functional COMT homolog for melatonin production. In vitro enzyme activity test approved that NtCOMT1 enabled the conversion of N-acetylserotonin into melatonin, occurring both in the cytoplasm and nucleus by subcellular localization analysis. The Km and Vmax values for NtCOMT1 at the optimum temperature (30 °C) were 266.0 µM and 2.155 nmol/min/mg protein. NtCOMT1 was significantly induced by drought stress; whereby if this gene functioned on promoting drought resistance was further conducted. Overexpression of NtCOMT1 resulted in decreased wilting in transgenic tobacco plants subjected to dehydration treatment. The combinatorial effects of NtCOMT1 in increasing melatonin content, inducing antioxidant system, and elevating the expression of drought-related genes could deliver the drought tolerance in tobacco. The characterization of NtCOMT1 may represent a solution to cope with the increasing drought stress in tobacco production in Yunnan province.

A Receiver Perspective on Knowledge Sharing Impact on Consumer-Brand Relationship in Virtual Communities.

The virtual community offers groups of consumers a knowledge-shared platform, wherein shared brand information influences the brand cognition of others. Using stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model, this study constructs a research framework for the influence of knowledge sharing on consumer-brand relationship in virtual communities. The empirical analysis shows that knowledge-sharing quality has significant positive effects on the sense of virtual community, as does the sense of virtual community on the consumer-brand relationships. This study supports the strengthening of consumer-brand relationships and the enrichment of following research on knowledge sharing of the consumer in virtual communities. Thus, companies should encourage consumers to actively participate in brand activities and focus on the development of consumer-brand relationships during participation in brand promotion.

Relationships Between User Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Community with Community Loyalty and Satisfaction.

BACKGROUND: Ubiquitous social media usage makes virtual communities important platforms for people to exchange knowledge and information. The long-term sustainable operation of the virtual community depends on the scale and activity of users in the virtual community. However, in existing virtual communities, the number of easily lost users far exceeds the number of loyal users with the high frequency of knowledge sharing, thus there is a community management need to improve the frequency of knowledge sharing and user loyalty. METHODS: Based on the social capital theory and social exchange theory, this paper constructs a model of the influence of knowledge sharing on the loyalty and satisfaction of users in a virtual community and undertakes an empirical analysis based on survey data from 533 members of virtual communities. RESULTS: The results showed that trust, reciprocity, and reputation positively affected the quantity and quality of knowledge sharing, while social connectedness only positively affected the quantity of knowledge sharing; the quantity and quality of knowledge sharing positively affected community loyalty and community satisfaction. CONCLUSION: This study takes the knowledge sharing of virtual community users as a new starting point to cultivate loyal consumers. It has important theoretical and practical value to improve the satisfaction of community users, cultivate loyal community users, and promote the knowledge sharing of members.

Melatonin inhibits seed germination by crosstalk with abscisic acid, gibberellin, and auxin in Arabidopsis.

Seed germination, an important developmental stage in the life cycle of seed plants, is regulated by complex signals. Melatonin is a signaling molecule associated with seed germination under stressful conditions, although the underlying regulatory mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, we showed that a low concentration (10 µM or 100 µM) of melatonin had no effect on seed germination, but when the concentration of melatonin increased to 500 µM or 1000 µM, seed germination was significantly inhibited in Arabidopsis. RNA sequencing analysis showed that melatonin regulated seed germination correlated to phytohormones abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin (GA), and auxin. Further investigation revealed that ABA and melatonin synergistically inhibited seed germination, while GA and auxin antagonized the inhibitory effect of seed germination by melatonin. Disruption of the melatonin biosynthesis enzyme gene serotonin N-acetyltransferase (SNAT) or N-acetylserotonin methyltransferase (ASMT) promoted seed germination, while overexpression of ASMT inhibited seed germination. Taken together, our study sheds new light on the function and mechanism of melatonin in modulating seed germination in Arabidopsis.

Melatonin synthesis genes N-acetylserotonin methyltransferases evolved into caffeic acid O-methyltransferases and both assisted in plant terrestrialization.

Terrestrialization is one of the most momentous events in the history of plant life, which leads to the subsequent evolution of plant diversity. The transition species, in this process, had to acquire a range of adaptive mechanisms to cope with the harsh features of terrestrial environments compared to that of aquatic habitat. As an ancient antioxidant, a leading regulator of ROS signaling or homeostasis, and a presumed plant master regulator, melatonin likely assisted plants transition to land and their adaption to terrestrial ecosystems. N-acetylserotonin methyltransferases (ASMT) and caffeic acid O-methyltransferases (COMT), both in the O-methyltransferase (OMT) family, catalyze the core O-methylation reaction in melatonin biosynthesis. How these two enzymes with close relevance evolved in plant evolutionary history and whether they participated in plant terrestrialization remains unknown. Using combined phylogenetic evidence and protein structure analysis, it is revealed that COMT likely evolved from ASMT by gene duplication and subsequent divergence. Newly emergent COMT gained a significantly higher ASMT activity to produce greater amounts of melatonin for immobile plants to acclimate to the stressful land environments after evolving from the more environmentally-stable aquatic conditions. The COMT genes possess more conserved substrate-binding sites at the amino acid level and more open protein conformation compared to ASMT, and getting a new function to catalyze the lignin biosynthesis. This development directly contributed to the dominance of vascular plants among the Earth's flora and prompted plant colonization of land. Thus, ASMT, together with its descendant COMT, might play key roles in plant transition to land. The current study provides new insights into plant terrestrialization with gene duplication contributing to this process along with well-known horizontal gene transfer.

TMT-based quantitative proteomic analysis reveals defense mechanism of wheat against the crown rot pathogen Fusarium pseudograminearum.

BACKGROUND: Fusarium crown rot is major disease in wheat. However, the wheat defense mechanisms against this disease remain poorly understood. RESULTS: Using tandem mass tag (TMT) quantitative proteomics, we evaluated a disease-susceptible (UC1110) and a disease-tolerant (PI610750) wheat cultivar inoculated with Fusarium pseudograminearum WZ-8A. The morphological and physiological results showed that the average root diameter and malondialdehyde content in the roots of PI610750 decreased 3 days post-inoculation (dpi), while the average number of root tips increased. Root vigor was significantly increased in both cultivars, indicating that the morphological, physiological, and biochemical responses of the roots to disease differed between the two cultivars. TMT analysis showed that 366 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment in the two comparison groups, UC1110_3dpi/UC1110_0dpi (163) and PI610750_3dpi/PI610750_0dpi (203). It may be concluded that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (8), secondary metabolite biosynthesis (12), linolenic acid metabolites (5), glutathione metabolism (8), plant hormone signal transduction (3), MAPK signaling pathway-plant (4), and photosynthesis (12) contributed to the defense mechanisms in wheat. Protein-protein interaction network analysis showed that the DEPs interacted in both sugar metabolism and photosynthesis pathways. Sixteen genes were validated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and were found to be consistent with the proteomics data. CONCLUSION: The results provided insight into the molecular mechanisms of the interaction between wheat and F. pseudograminearum.

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Profile of the SNAT Gene Family in Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum).

Melatonin plays key roles in development and confers stress tolerance to plants. Serotonin N-acetyltransferase (SNAT) is either the enzyme involved in the last step or the penultimate enzyme of phytomelatonin biosynthesis. To date, SNAT genes have not been characterized in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), an economically important plant species. The sequence of the Acetyltransf_7 conserved domain was used as a query sequence, and 12 NtSNAT candidate genes were in turn identified in the genome of tobacco. These NtSNATs could be divided into two groups based on the phylogenetic tree. NtSNAT1 and NtSNAT2 clustered together with the other typical SNATs, but the other 10 NtSNATs separately clustered outside of the typical SNATs. These 10 NtSNATs have only motif 1, whereas representative SNATs, such as NtSNAT1 and NtSNAT2 or a SNAT from cyanobacteria, have five motifs. In addition, NtSNAT1 and NtSNAT2 are highly homologous to the characterized OsSNAT1, 62.95 and 71.36%, respectively; however, the homology between the other 10 NtSNAT genes and OsSNAT1 is low. Concomitantly, it is hypothesized that NtSNAT1 and NtSNAT2 are the homolog of SNATs, whereas the other 10 candidates could be considered NtSNAT-like genes. Furthermore, both Nicotiana tomentosiformis and Nicotiana sylvestris, two diploid ancestor species of N. tabacum, have two SNAT candidates; therefore, it is speculated that gene rearrangement or deletion during the process of genomic stabilization after whole-genome duplication or polyploidization led to the preservation of NtSNAT1 and NtSNAT2 during the evolution of tobacco from the ancestral diploid to the allotetraploid. NtSNAT and NtSNAT-like genes were differentially expressed in all organs under different stress conditions, indicating that these genes potentially associated with plant growth and development and stress resistance. Under different stress conditions, the expression of NtSNAT1 was significantly upregulated upon high-temperature and cadmium stresses, while the expression of NtSNAT2 did not significantly increase under any of the tested stress treatments. These results provide valuable information for elucidating the evolutionary relationship of SNAT genes in tobacco and genetic resources for improving tobacco production in the future.

Development of functional chitosan-based composite films incorporated with hemicelluloses: Effect on physicochemical properties.

The aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical properties of chitosan (CS) based composite films with the incorporation of hemicelluloses (HC). Films were obtained via direct immersion method and characterized in terms of structural and morphological properties by FT-IR, XRD, XPS, SEM and EDS. By combining with the increased HC loading efficiency (L) and swelling property (S) of films with the increased HC content to 5%, this study proved the increased hydrogen bond interactions between CS and HC. Films with the tensile strength of 32.81 ± 4.97 MPa and elongation at break of 39.63 ± 4.67% were obtained with 3% HC and 20% glycerol (GC). The water vapor permeability (WVP) of films developed with the increased HC and GC contents, while the oxygen permeability (OP) decreased. Moreover, antibacterial testing indicated that all films exhibited the increased growth inhibition against E. coli and S. aureus as increasing TiO2 content.

Correlation between plasma renalase level and coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation between the plasma renalase level of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and the degree of coronary artery stenosis. METHODS: A total of 180 patients who received coronary angiography in our hospitals from August 2013 to October 2013 were selected as the CAD group, of which 164 were finally diagnosed as CAD. Another 140 healthy subjects were selected as the control group. The plasma renalase levels of the two groups were detected by ELISA to analyze CA-induced changes and to clarify the correlations with the number of branches with coronary artery stenosis and Syntax scores. RESULTS: The plasma renalase level of the CAD group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). The plasma renalase levels of the multi-branch and two-branch stenosis subgroups were significantly lower than that of the subgroup with normal coronary angiography outcomes (P<0.05), while the levels of the single-branch stenosis and normal subgroups were similar (P>0.05). Besides, the plasma renalase level of the low-risk subgroup was significantly higher than those of the medium-risk and high-risk subgroups (P<0.05), and the level of the medium-risk subgroup was significantly higher than that of the high-risk subgroup (P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that renalase level was the risk factor of CAD (OR=1.12, 95%CI: 1.03-3.34). CONCLUSION: Plasma renalase level was correlated with CAD, the changes of which may reflect the degree of coronary artery stenosis. Therefore, plasma renalase level can be used to indicate the progression of CAD.

Nanovesicles system for rapid-onset sublingual delivery containing sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate: in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

A novel formulation based on nanovesicles system for rapid-onset sublingual delivery of hydrophilic drug (sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate, STS) was investigated. The nanovesicles system was composed of 1.5% soybean lecithin, 6% propylene glycol, and penetration enhancers (1% sodium dodecyl sulfate and 0.03% hyaluronan acid). The STS-loaded nanovesicles with an average diameter of 133 ± 9.04 nm and high entrapment efficiency of 85.65 ± 3.89% were characterized. The effects of permeation enhancers on the penetration of STS formulations were investigated using Franz diffusion cells in vitro, showing 86.1-235.8 times higher permeation rate than that of normal STS solution. The rapid symptom relief effect of the nanovesicles system on acute myocardial infarction rabbits was evaluated by in vivo study, ST-segment deviation(S and T wave abnormality in electrocardiogram) was attenuated markedly and rapidly within 5 min, infarct size of heart was significantly reduced and the biochemical indicators were substantially decreased, compared with the control groups (p < 0.05). This study provided a promising tool for the future sublingual delivery of hydrophilic compounds with the noninvasive and rapid onset clinical effect.

Fabrication of a surgical template for orbital implant placement: a case report.

Implant placement in orbital sites is challenging because of limited bone volume and poor bone quality. Preoperative optimal implant planning and intraoperative guides are important to ensure success. This article describes the use of computer simulation for implant insertion and fabrication of a surgical template as a drilling guide for orbital implant placement. A 29-year-old woman with a right orbital defect underwent computerized tomographic scanning, and the data were processed with interactive software to simulate orbital implant placement. A surgical template that served as a drilling guide was designed and fabricated to transfer orbital recipient site information from the three-dimensional computer model into the actual orbital implant sites. Three craniofacial implants were placed in the 7:00, 8:00, and 11:00 positions. No unexpected complications or injuries were encountered during the surgery. Magnetic abutments were attached to the implants 2 weeks later. The definitive facial prosthesis was fitted 6 months later, with excellent esthetic results. The surgical template contributed to the success of this treatment.

[CT multiplanar image anatomic study on orbital bone used for implant operation].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the orbital bone quantity by spiral computer tomography (CT) for orbital implant operation. METHODS: Fifty-two normal skull specimens with marks received spiral CT scan and their multiplanar images were obtained. The quantity (length x width) were measured on multiplanar images. RESULTS: The right orbital bone quantity at 7:00 was the highest, average 11.91 mm x 8.38 mm, and at 3:00 was the lowest, average 2.31 mm x 1.34 mm. The left orbital bone quantity at 5:00 was the highest, average 12.03 mm x 8.56 mm, and at 9:00 was the lowest, average 2.44 mm x 1.29 mm. There had no significance correlation with gender at the same position in both sides. CONCLUSION: Useful data had been obtained for the selection of the placement sites, direction, length, and diameter of orbital implants.

[Clinical application of computer assisted technology based spiral CT scan for locating impacted tooth].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical value of computer assisted technology for locating the impacted tooth. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with impacted tooth were received spiral CT scan. The DICOM data were processed by Simplant software for locating the impacted tooth. RESULTS: The reconstruction images clearly showed detail of the impacted teeth, including 3D surface image, eruption orientation, buccal and lingual location, medial and distal location and relationship with dentition and circumambient anatomic structure. CONCLUSION: The computer assisted technology can localize the impacted tooth precisely and provide valuable information for clinical treatment.

[Effects of extract of Bulbus Allii Caespitosi on cardiocyte viability of swines with myocardial reperfusion injury evaluated by (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of extract of Bulbus Allii Caespitosi on cardiocyte viability of swines with myocardial reperfusion injury by analyzing the 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) position emission tomography (PET) imaging. METHODS: Twenty-four swines were randomly divided into sham-operated group, untreated group, trimethazine group and extract of Bulbus Allii Caespitosi group. Myocardial reperfusion injury was induced by plugging the anterior descending coronary artery of swine with sacculus. Bulbus Allii Caespitosi or trimetazidine was given twice daily for 28 days. Then myocardial perfusion was detected with (18)F-FDG PET/CT and the radioactivity distribution was evaluated. RESULTS: Compared with the untreated group, Bulbus Allii Caespitosi and trimetazidine could improve the activity of myocardial cells after myocardial infarction (P<0.01), and there were no significant differences between Bulbus Allii Caespitosi and trimetazidine (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Bulbus Allii Caespitosi can improve myocardial metabolism after ischemia and reperfusion in swines.

[Therapeutic effects of Tiaozhong Granule on esophagus mucous membrane in rats with mixed reflux esophagitis and the mechanisms].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of Tiaozhong Granule (TZG), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, in treating rats with mixed reflux esophagitis. METHODS: Fifty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into untreated group (n=12), sham-operated group (n=10), TZG-treated group (n=12), Banxia Xiexin Decoction (BXXXD)-treated group (n=12) and cisapride-treated group (n=12). Mixed reflux esophagitis was induced by esophago-duodenum end-to-side anastomosis. Four weeks later, the rats were orally administered twice daily for 12 days. Pathological changes of esophagus mucous membrane were observed by using HE staining. The expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and p53 in the esophagus tissue were detected by immunohistochemical SABC method. Spectrophotometric method was used to detect the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in serum. RESULTS: Compared with the untreated group, pathological changes of esophagus mucous membrane were relieved in different degrees in TZG-treated group, BXXXD-treated group and cisapride-treated group. Content of MDA and expressions of PCNA and p53 were obviously decreased in the three treated groups (P<0.01), and the activities of SOD and GSH-Px were significantly increased in the three treated groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). TZG had better effects than cisapride in decreasing the content of MDA and increasing the activities of SOD and GSH-Px (P<0.05). TZG was better in aspect of reducing the expressions of PCNA and p53 than BXXXD and cisapride tablets (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Tiaozhong Granule can treat mixed reflux esophagitis in rats, and its action mechanisms may be associated with decreasing the expressions of PCNA and p53 in esophagus mucous membrane, reducing the content of MDA and increasing the activities of SOD and GSH-Px in serum.

[Protective effect of Huaxia shallot preparation on human umbilical vein endothelial cell injury induced by oxidized low density lipoprotein and its mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the protective effect of Huaxia shallot preparation on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) injury induced by oxidized low density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) in vitro. METHODS: Ox-LDL was prepared and identified, and HUVECs were cultured. After 2-hour intervention of different drugs and 24-hour following intervention of Ox-LDL, the number of HUVECs was observed by phase contrast optical microscope and the activity of the HUVECs was observed by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) technique. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and nitric oxide (NO) content were assayed by respective kit. The protein expressions and mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferators activated receptor gamma(PPAR-gamma) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were measured by western blot technique and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Ox-LDL could increase the apoptosis rate of the HUVECs and decrease the NO release as compared with the blank control group (P<0.05). These effects induced by Ox-LDL were all significantly inhibited by Huaxia shallot preparation. It could up-regulate the protein expressions and mRNA levels of PPAR-gamma and eNOS significantly (P<0.05). Huaxia shallot preparation could decrease the apoptosis rate of the HUVECs. CONCLUSION: Ox-LDL may be involved in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis by injuring the endothelial cells directly and may cause the endothelial dysfunction. Huaxia shallot preparation can protect against Ox-LDL induced endothelial cell injury by up-regulating the protein expressions and mRNA levels of PPAR-gamma and eNOS. It suggests that Huaxia shallot preparation may play a role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.