Experimental Study on the Anti-inflammatory Effect of Ficus pumila L.

[Objectives]To study the anti-inflammatory effects of extracts from different parts of Ficus pumila L.[Methods]Inflammatory models of xylene-induced ear swelling,glacial acetic acid-induced celiac capillary permeability and carrageenan-induced toe swelling were established to evaluate the effects of extracts from different parts of F.pumila L.on inflammation.The inflammatory model of ear swelling in mice with bilateral adrenalectomy induced by xylene was established to determine whether its anti-inflammatory effect depends on hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis(HPAA)system.[Results]Compared with the blank control group,except that there was no statistical significance in the low dose group(P>0.05),the high and middle dose groups of extracts from different parts of F.pumila L.had significant inhibitory effects on xylene-induced ear swelling in mice.The high,middle and low dose groups of F.pumila L.extract could significantly increase the celiac capillary permeability of mice induced by glacial acetic acid,and significantly inhibit the toe swelling induced by carrageenan.Compared with the blank control group,the high and middle dose groups of extracts from different parts of F.pumila L.could significantly inhibit xylene-induced ear swelling and carrageenan-induced toe swelling in bilateral adrenalectomy mice.[Conclusions]The extracts from different parts of F.pumila L.had anti-inflammatory activity,and its anti-inflammatory effect was independent of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis(HPAA)system.

Structural Characterization and Antioxidant Activity of Lignin Extracted from Ficus Carica L.

The most abundant phenolic biopolymer in the biosphere is the lignin.This phenolic biopolymer commonly exists in combination with polysaccharides and other cell wall components.In this study,the solvent system dioxane-water is used to extract lignin,which is considered as unaltered native lignin.The dioxane lignin extracted from fig stems was characterized regarding to its structural feature,quantification of its functional groups,molecular weight,and evaluation of its thermal properties.Purity and molecular weight distribution of the studied lignin indicated that isolated lignin contained a low amount of sugar(c.a.19%)and had a high weight-average molecular weight(10068 g.mol-1).Lignin sample had approximately the same amounts of guaiacyl(G)and p-hydroxyphenyl(H)units with relatively fewer syringyl(S)units.The isolated lignin revealed good antioxidant properties.Therefore,it proved to have a high potential of application in new antioxidants formulations.

Cultivation of “Roxo de Valinhos” Fig Tree in Different Plant Densities for Production of Green Figs for Industry in the Region of Campo Das Vertentes-MG

The objective of this work was to study the effect of different planting densities on the development and production of “Roxo de Valinhos” green figs for industry, in the Campo das Vertentes-MG region. The experiment was installed at the Risoleta Neves Experimental Field—CERN/EPAMIG. The plants used were three years old and were arranged in three randomized blocks, subject to three different planting densities, with spacings ranging from 1 m (4000 plants·ha-1), 1.5 m (2666 plants·ha-1), and 2 m (2000 plants·ha-1) between plants in the planting line and 2.5 m between row for all planting densities. The average length of the branches (m), average number of fruits per branch, average number of fruits per plant, average weight of fruits, average yield per plant and the average yield per hectare (kg) were evaluated. It was verified that, there were no significant differences in the length of branch and in the average weight of fruit, in the three densities of fig tree planting. (4000 plants·ha-1), the average number of fruits per branch (7.5), per plant (55.87) and yield per plant (878.93 kg) were lower, however. The average yield per hectare (3515.73 kg) was higher than in other growing densities. It is concluded that, the higher density of plants (4000 plants·ha-1), provides the highest productivity per area, without damages to the quality of the fruits.

Fragmentation Effects on Diversity of Wasp Community and Its Impact on Fig／Fig Wasp Interaction in Ficus racemosa L.

Abstract: Habitat fragmentation usually results in alteration of species composition or biological communities. However, little is known about the effect of habitat fragmentation on the fig/fig wasp system. In this study, we compared the structure of a fig wasp community and the interaction between figs and fig wasps of Ficus racemosa L. in a primary forest, a locally fragmented forest and a highly fragmented forest. Our results show that, in the highly fragmented forest, the proportion of pollinator wasps is lower and the proportion of non-pollinator wasps is higher compared with the primary forest and locally fragmented forest. The proportion of fruits without pollinator wasps in mature fruits is also greatly increased in the highly fragmented forest. The proportion of galls in all female flowers increases in the highly fragmented forest, whereas the proportion of viable seeds does not change considerably. The disruption of groups of fig trees results in a decrease in pollinator wasps and even might result in the extinction of pollinator wasps in some extreme cases, which may transform the reciprocal interaction between figs and fig wasps into a parasite/host system. Such an effect may lead to the local extinction of this keystone plant resource of rain forests in the process of evolution, and thereby, may change the structure and function of the tropical rain forest.

In vitro and in silico anti-oxidant, cytotoxicity and biological activities of Ficus benghalensis and Duranta repens

Objective:To report in vitro anti-oxidant activity and cytotoxicity of hydroalcoholic extract of Ficus benghalensis(bark)and Duranta repens(whole plant),and present the probable biological spectrum of major anti-oxidants from both plants.Methods:The coarse powder of both plants was first extracted with 70%ethanol(maceration)followed by 99%ethanol(Soxhlet-extraction).Anti-oxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated using DPPH,H2O2,2,20-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid(ABTS),NO scavenging assay,total antioxidant capacity,cupric reducing antioxidant capacity(CUPRAC),and metal chelating assay.Cytotoxicity of both extracts was evaluated using MTT assay in both tumor and normal cell lines i.e.Chinese hamster ovary cells(CHO)and A549 cells.Biological activity of individual anti-oxidants from both medicinal plants was identified using prediction of activity spectra for substances and a docking study was performed by using autodock4.0.Results:Hydroalcoholic extract of F.benghalensis and D.repens showed the highest free radical scavenging(ABTS)and chelating capacity respectively.Both extracts showed minimum cytotoxicity in normal cell lines compared to tumor cell lines.Computer imitation hits reflected the multiple biological activities agreeing with the folk use and some scientific reports.Further,we found the binding affinity of predicted anti-oxidant compounds with multiple protein molecules involved in oxidative stress.Conclusion:The present study reports the probable anti-oxidant mechanism for two folk agents and also presents probable pharmacological activities via computer simulations.

三种常用道路绿化植物根系生长状况研究

以黄葛树(Ficus virens var.sublanceolata)、小叶榕(Ficus microcarpa L.)和春鹃(Rhododendron pulchrum Sweet)为试验对象,通过挖取南向1 m×1 m×1 m的土壤剖面观察其根系的分布状况,发现在距树干南向1 m处,黄葛树88.1%及以上的根系主要分布于0~60 cm深的土层中,小叶榕92.0%及以上的根系主要分布于0~60 cm深的土层中,春鹃43.4%及以上的根系主要分布于0~30 cm深的土层中;3种植物的须根在石骨子碎块和砖块缝隙中可发育成扁平状或云片状,其根系结构特点更适合重庆市园林绿化土壤的现状。

ATR–FTIR Spectroscopy Combined with the Invitro Antioxidant Activity and Chromaticity for Rapid Discrimination of Fig(Ficus carica L.)Cultivars

Vibrational spectroscopy analysis of full-ripened fig fruits(Ficus carica L.)was acquired using Fourier-transformed infrared(FTIR)spectroscopy by attenuated total reflectance(ATR).The objective of this study was to investigate accurate discrimination of 25 fig cultivars using chemometric analysis of both ATR-FTIR fingerprinting and in-vitro antioxidant activity along with chromatic coordinates color.In-vitro antioxidant activity was assessed through three methods and displayed statistically significant differences across cultivars and between the fruit parts,with promising antioxidant potency.Infrared spectra were measured separately on both peels and pulp to better know which fruit part provides high discrimination throughput between cultivars.The results showed vibration intensities of five fingerprint regions displaying statically significant differences.The highest vibration intensity occurred in the region of 1175-940 cm^(-1)including the phenols fingerprint.Principal components analysis based on integrated intensities corresponding to fingerprint regions,revealed two main groups in pulp samples,while five groups in peels samples.The pulp extracts of’Nabout’showed a typical vibration in 3000-2800 cm^(-1)and 1775-1725 cm^(-1)regions and,therefore was classified as single subset in cultivars scatterplot.This cultivar had a lightcolored fig and exhibited the highest antioxidant potency for all essays particularly in peel extracts.The biochemical assessment and FTIR fingerprinting data were involved in PCA analysis,and that displayed some dissimilarities in the classification patterns,given the fact that antioxidant activities and chromaticity together could not totally explain the classification based on FTIR fingerprinting between peel and pulp.Application of FTIR-ATR spectroscopy to discriminate fig cultivars seems to be a rapid,accurate and cost-effective alternative to laborious measurement techniques,in fig quality screening and preselection,such as chromatography analysis.This study suggests the use of fig peels for a high-level discrimination while using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy,since it provides high-throughput screening framework.

Seasonal Changes in the Trade-off Among Fig-supported Wasps and Viable Seeds in Figs and Their Evolutionary Implications

Abstract: What the real trade-off is among fig-supported wasps and the viable seeds of figs is heatedly debated in the studies of fig/fig wasp mutualism. In the present study, we collected wasp offspring (galls) and the viable seeds of premature fruits, and determined the foundress number in receptive fruits and all the types of wasps supported by Ficus racemosa L. during both the rainy and dry seasons in Xishuangbanna, China. The data show that the galls were positively correlated with viable seeds (n= 32; r= 0.74; P < 0.001) when the proportion of vacant female flowers (PVFF) was high, in April (68.0%), and were negatively correlated with viable seeds (n= 48; r=?0.59; P < 0.05) when PVFF were limited (PVFF = 42.6%) during a colder month (January). The mean foundress number per fruit during the colder months is significantly lower than during the warmer months (F5, 603= 27.9; P < 0.001) and pollinator wasps can live longer during the colder months. During the colder months, the proportions of non-pollinators and wasp offspring are higher than those found during other months, whereas the proportion of viable seeds is not different compared with that of other months. Non-pollinator wasps tend to oviposit the female flowers that have been oviposited by pollinator wasps. The non-pollinators only negatively affect pollinator wasps and there is no obvious negative effect of non-pollinator wasps on viable seeds, so ovipositing by non-pollinator wasps will not result in the extinction of the figs during the process of evolution. The results of the present study indicate that figs can allow less foundresses to be in fruit cavities when PVFF are limited, which provides supporting evidence for the previous assumption that the plants have developed a mechanism to maintain a stable system because of the conflicts between the parties involved.

无花果树防寒液涂淋装置的研制

为树木涂淋防寒液是一种简便易行、经济有效的理想措施,针对现有的防寒液涂淋装置清洁便捷性和调节便捷性低、涂喷效果差等弊端,研制出了无花果(Ficus Carica L.)树防寒液涂淋装置,具有设计新颖、操作方便、结构简单、实用效果好等特点,介绍了其基本结构、组成、使用方法和创新点。

无花果果实收集装置的研制

针对现有的无花果(Ficus carica L.)果实收集装置操作人员工作效率低、收集装置储存空间有限,操作复杂,不便于取出收集的无花果等弊端,研制出一种无花果果实收集装置,具有提高操作人员的工作效率、便于取出无花果的优点,本文介绍了其基本结构与组成、使用方法和创新点。