Species-specific regulatory pathways of small RNAs play sophisticated roles in flower development in Dimocarpus longan Lour.

Flower development plays vital role in horticultural plants.Post-transcriptional regulation via small RNAs is important for plant flower development.To uncover post-transcriptional regulatory networks during the flower development in Dimocarpus longan Lour.‘Shixia’,an economically important fruit crop in subtropical regions,we collected and analyzed sRNA deep-sequencing datasets and degradome libraries Apart from identifying miRNAs and phased siRNA generating loci(PHAS loci),120 hairpin loci,producing abundant sRNAs,were identified by in-house protocols.Our results suggested that 56 miRNA-target pairs,2221-nt-PHAS loci,and 111 hairpin loci are involved in posttranscriptional gene silencing during longan reproductive development.Lineage-specific or species-specific post-transcriptional regulatory modules have been unveiled,including miR482-PHAS and miRN15.miR482-PHAS might be involved in longan flower development beyond their conserved roles in plant defense,and miRN15 is a novel miRNA likely associated with a hairpin locus(HPL-056)to regulate strigolactone receptor gene DWARF14(D14)and the biogenesis of phasiRNAs from D14.These small RNAs are enriched in flower buds,suggesting they are likely involved in post-transcriptional regulatory networks essential for longan flower development via the strigolactone signaling pathway.

Research Progress of Paederia scandens(Lour.)Merr in Modern Pharmacy

Paederia scandens(Lour.)Merr.is a traditional Chinese medicine,which mainly has the functions of analgesia,detoxification,anti-inflammatory and anticonvulsant.Modern studies show that the main chemical constituents of this plant are iridoids and volatile oil,which have biological activities such as analgesia,anti-inflammatory,hepatoprotection,renoprotection and antibacterial.This review highlights the chemical constituents and biological activities of P.scandens based on studies published in last decades and provides the references for the further development and utilization of this medicinal plant.

Study on the molecular mechanism of Osmanthus fragrans Lour.on boosting immunity based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

Objective:To explore the molecular mechanism of Osmanthus Fragrans Lour.(OFL)in enhancing immunity.Methods:The compounds and action targets of OFL were collected from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systematic Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform.Protein targets of compounds were obtained from the UniProt database and relevant targets of boosting immunity were retrieved from the Genecards database.The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis and Gene Ontology function enrichment analysis were performed through the DAVID analysis website,Visualization and Integrated Discovery.Finally,the results of the network analysis were validated by performing molecular docking using AutoDock vina.Results:A total of 7 active compounds and 167 potential active targets were identified in OFL.A total of 1549 genes with a correlation score of≥1 were retrieved from the Genecards website with the keyword“boost immunity”,and 107 genes were obtained by crossing the 167 genes of OFL with the 1549 genes of boosting immunity.A total of 4802 entries were obtained from Gene Ontology functional enrichment(P<0.05).A total of 234 signaling pathways were obtained through a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis(P<0.05).Tumor necrosis factor(TNF)and interleukin 17(IL-17)signaling pathways were closely related to body immunity.The molecular docking results showed that all the core compounds in OFL the characteristics including low energy,a stable structure and high binding activity when bound to IL-17 and TNF-αprotein.Kaempferol showed the highest affinity with IL-17,and fucosterol showed the highest affinity with TNF-α.Conclusions:Through studies on network pharmacology and molecular docking,we have further demonstrated that OFL could enhance the immunity of the body through multi-component,multi-target and multi-pathway actions,and that IL-17/TNF-αsignalling pathway is the key molecular mechanism.

低温胁迫下龙眼(Dimocarpus longana Lour.)幼叶细胞内Ca^(2+)水平及细胞超微结构

用焦锑酸钾沉淀的电镜细胞化学方法研究低温胁迫下龙眼(DimocarpuslonganaLour.)幼叶细胞内Ca2+水平的变化。未经低温处理的幼叶,细胞壁、细胞间隙、质膜和液泡存在大量的Ca2+沉淀颗粒,叶绿体、细胞质和细胞核中也有一些Ca2+沉淀颗粒分布,表明液泡和细胞间隙是植物细胞的钙库。龙眼幼叶经4℃44h处理后,质膜上Ca2+沉淀颗粒明显增多,细胞质和细胞核中的Ca2+水平增加。不抗寒品种在低温胁迫下核膜开口,有时可观察到核内容物外漏。抗寒品种叶绿体中类囊体不形成基粒,少数片层结合重叠后伸展在整个叶绿体中。而不抗寒品种类囊体则堆积成明显的颗粒状基粒,片层数量较多,且叶绿体多数成蝶型排列。

磺胺对苦草(Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara)生理生长及细胞超微结构的影响

以沉水植物苦草为试验材料,通过实验室水培试验,经过不同浓度磺胺(0.01,0.02,0.05,0.08,0.1mg·L^(-1))处理,研究不同浓度磺胺污染对苦草(Vallisneria natans)叶片生理生长及丙二醛(MDA)、可溶性糖(SS)、叶绿素含量、叶绿素a和b含量比值(c_a/c_b)等的影响.结果显示:(1)随着外源磺胺浓度增加,苦草相对生长率降低,叶片叶绿素a和叶绿素b含量呈降低趋势,叶绿素a含量下降速度大于叶绿素b;c_a/c_b先增大后减小.(2)磺胺胁迫下叶片的丙二醛含量与对照组相比变化显著,MDA和SS含量呈先上升后下降的趋势,总体呈上升趋势.(3)透射电镜观察发现,磺胺胁迫使苦草叶细胞中叶绿体被膜破裂至消失,类囊体膨胀、破损;叶细胞中类囊体呈现出分布不均、出现空腔等.当磺胺浓度为0.01m·L^(-1)时,苦草叶片外观形态结构未表现出受害症状,而叶绿体亚显微结构显示,类囊体开始出现轻微的分布不均现象;当营养液中磺胺浓度为0.02mg·L^(-1)时,叶片出现褐色斑点,叶片边缘呈现枯黄至坏死症状,叶绿体超微结构显示类囊体膨胀、变形至空洞现象,线粒体和叶绿体的距离减小至消失.研究结果表明,磺胺胁迫导致苦草叶生理代谢失衡,叶绿素含量下降,叶片亚细胞结构出现不可逆损伤,期望该结果为研究磺胺污染的作用机制及苦草在抗生素污染修复中的应用提供一定的参考.

阳春砂(Amomum villosum Lour.)农家种热科2性状初报

【目的】阳春砂(Amomum villosum Lour.)是砂仁中的佳品,具有悠久的药用历史。通过系统分析阳春砂农家种热科2特征性状,为阳春砂品种识别和生产种植提供依据。【方法】对阳春砂农家种热科2植株、花、果实等性状进行跟踪调查研究与对比分析。【结果】热科2阳春砂植株高大粗壮,株高2.84 m,茎粗13.12 mm;叶片大而厚,叶长43.52 cm、宽6.46 cm,外侧叶缘波状不明显、叶面具平行于主脉的突起线,叶舌长椭圆形、棕色、长0.95 mm;花序“曲线型”,花梗长9.70 mm,小花数9.3朵,唇瓣长2.24 mm、宽2.39 mm,中脉黄色而染紫红色、顶端黄色外延、基部紫红色“八”字型痂状斑;果实扁圆形、褐色,内含种子23.2粒,千粒质量14.14 g,种子团挥发油体积分数3.6%;花期和果实成熟期晚。【结论】明确了热科2阳春砂的形态特征性状,可作为砂仁DUS测试指南的标准品种,为该品种的精准识别以及阳春砂优异资源保护与选育种奠定基础。

Tamarix chinensis Lour inhibits chronic ethanol-induced liver injury in mice

BACKGROUND Tamarix chinensis Lour(TCL)is a shrub that usually grows in arid or semiarid desert areas and saline-alkali fields.It is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with hepatoprotective,antioxidant,antibacterial,and antitumor activities.AIM To investigate the possible protective effects of TCL against liver injury induced by chronic ethanol intake.METHODS C57BL/6J male mice were fed a Lieber-DeCarli lipid diet containing alcohol and received(by gavage)a water-alcohol extract(80%)of TCL(100 and 200 mg/kg BW)or distilled water for 4 wk.After euthanasia,liver tissues were observed histologically with hematoxylin and eosin staining and Oil red O staining,and the levels of alanine aminotransferase,aspartate transaminase,hepatic lipids,reactive oxygen species,malondialdehyde,and superoxide dismutase were measured.In addition,expression of the NOD-like receptor family,pyrin domain-containing 3(NLRP3)inflammasome and downstream proinflammatory cytokines were determined.RESULTS Compared with the ethanol group,mice in the TCL-treated group(200 mg/kg)had significantly lower serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(mean,34.1 IU/L vs 45.3 IU/L,P<0.01)and aspartate transaminase(mean,89.6 IU/L vs 115.7 IU/L,P<0.01),as well as marked reduction of hepatic tissue reactive oxygen species(decreased by 27.5%,P<0.01)and malondialdehyde(decreased by 76.6%,P<0.01)levels,with a significant increase of superoxide dismutase(Increased by 73.2%,P<0.01).Expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome and its downstream cytokines[interleukin(IL)-1β,tumor necrosis factor-α,and IL-6],and recruitment of natural killer T cells to the liver,were reduced in the TCLtreated incubation with a Lieber-DeCaril ethanol lipid diet group.CONCLUSION These findings suggest that a TCL extract(200 mg/kg)protects against chronic ethanol-induced liver injury,probably by inhibiting the NLRP3-caspase-1-IL-1βsignaling pathway and suppressing oxidative stress.

半边莲(Lobelia Chinensis Lour.)离体茎段再生植株的研究

半边莲去叶带节茎段接种于MS基本培养基中,附加2,4—D、NAA、6—BA等不同浓度激素,获得了愈伤组织和完整植株。并建立了一个半边莲快速繁殖程序:(1)MS+6—BA4mg/L用于诱导丛芽的形成;(2)MS+NAA2mg/L用于诱导根的形成。完整植株移栽成活率可达95％。

Phytochemical and in vitro biological investigations of methanolic extracts of Enhydra fluctuans Lour

Objective:To study the phytochemical and biological properties(antioxidant,anthelmintic and thrombolytic)of methanolic extracts of Enhydra fluctuant Lour.,a plant belonging to the Asteraceae family.Methods:The phytochemical evaluation was carried out by qualitative analysis.In vitro antioxidant activity of extract was studied using free radical scavenging assay,ability of reduction,total phenol and total flavonoid contents determination assays.The anthelmintic activity was determined using paralysis and death time of Pheretima posthuma(earthworm)and thrombolytic activity by clot disruption assay.Results:The phytochemical evaluation showed significant presence of flavonoids,triterpenes,carbohydrate,reducing sugars,saponins,phenols,diterpenes,protein and tannin.The antioxidant activity was found significant[IC_(50)(135.20±036)μg/mL]as compared to ascorbic acid[(130.00±0.76)μg/mL].The reducing power was increased with concentration.Total phenol and total flavonoid contents were(153.08±0.38)mg/mL and(172.04±0.56)mg/mL respectively.The paralysis and death time of earthworms for different concentrations of extract were determined and compared with albendazole.The results showed that 10 mg/mL of the crude extract had similar effect with albendazole.Additionally,the crude extract showed a concentration depended relationship with its anthelmintic property.The clot lysis activity of crude extract was compared to the standard streptokinase's clot lysis(40.13%)activity and found significant(31%).Conclusions:The study proves that the crude methanolic extract of Enhydra fluctuant Lour,has significant antioxidant,anthelmintic and thrombolytic activity containing wide range of phytochemicals.

Phytochemical constituents and biological activities of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) fruit: a review

Longan(Dimocarpus longan Lour.),as an edible fruit and traditional Chinese medicine,has been consumed for thousands of years.Longan pulp has abundant nutritional phytochemicals such as protein,carbohydrate,vitamin C,polysaccharides,polyphenols,which shows multiple biological activities including antioxidant,immunomodulatory and antitumor effects.Longan pericarp also demonstrates biological activities because of its rich content of polysaccharides and polyphenols.This review summarizes the bioactive compounds and bioactivities of longan pulp and aims to provide comprehensive information for future development of longan as a functional health food.

春砂仁(Amomum villosum Lour.)种子发芽的试验研究

春砂仁种植于广东、广西、福建、云南、四川等省,以广东为主要产区.生产中多采用分株繁殖的方法,由于种苗不足,大面积发展受到限制.近年不少产区试用种子繁殖,又往往因采收、贮藏、播种或长途运输等处理不当,致使种子发芽率很低.为了探讨春砂仁种子发芽的特性及其与环境之间的关系,从而找出催芽的有效措施,提高种子发芽率,我们从197s年开始,采用几种方法进行了种子发芽的比较试验.

阳春砂(Amomum villosum Lour.)农家栽培种‘热科1’特征性状初报

阳春砂(Amomum villosum Lour.)是我国四大南药之一,具有极高的药用价值。我国阳春砂栽培种源混杂、退化严重等问题制约着其品质与药效的提升,亟待加强优质资源的筛选与改良。本研究通过调查阳春砂农家栽培种‘热科1’植物学性状,发现:阳春砂主茎高度208㎝,叶缘波状程度强且整齐,叶舌椭圆形、棕色,叶鞘绿黄色、边缘轻度棕色带;新抽芽被鲜艳棕红色膜质鳞片;花序"L"型、花梗长8.46㎝,小花数11.9朵;唇瓣中脉黄染深紫红,花粉囊覆盖处中部黄色、边缘染微红色;果实椭圆形、基部微三棱形,种子团挥发油含量3.7%,乙酸龙脑酯含量1.68%;种子褐色、不规则形状,千粒重11.42 g。本研究对阳春砂农家栽培种‘热科1’植株、花、果实与种子特性进行了详细的描述,具有鲜明的特征,作为砂仁DUS测试指南的标准品种,为识别‘热科1’品种提供科学依据,为砂仁品种保护奠定基础。

BAIMUXIFURANIC ACID,A NEW SESQUITERPENE FROM THE VOLATILE OIL OF AQUILARIA SINENSIS(LOUR.)GILG.

A new sesquiterpenoid,named baimuxifuranic acid,has been isolated from the volatile oil of Aquilaria sinensis(Lour.)Gilg.belonging to the family Thymelaceae by silica gel column chromatography.Based on spectral analysis its structure was deduced as(1).Reduction of baimuxifuranic acid by LiAlH_4 gave a

Molar Mass Distribution and Chain Conformation of Polysaccharides from Fortunella margarita(Lour.) Swingle

In order to study the effects of different extraction methods on the molar mass distribution and chain conformation of Fortunella margarita （Lour.） Swingle polysaccharides （FP）, we used extraction by hot water （WFP）, ultrasonic-assisted treatment （UFP）, microwave-assisted treatment （MFP） and ultrasonic/microwave-assisted treatment （UMFP）, and then Fourier transform infrared （FT-IR） spectroscopy as well as 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） spectroscopy to characterize the structural properties of FP extracted. The molar weight （Mw）, polydispersity index （Mw/Mn）, root-mean-square （RMS） turning radius （Rg）, molar mass distribution and chain conformation of FP were studied systematically using size-exclusion chromatography （SEC）, multi-angle laser light-scattering （MALLS） and refractive index （RI）. WFP, UFP, MFP and UMFP are all typical carbohydrates according to 1H NMR, laC NMR and FT-IR measurements. The type of glycosidic linkage is mainly a fl-glycosidic bond with a small amount of a-glycosidic bond. The results obtained by the SEC-MALLS-RI system showed the molar masses of WFP and UMFP were distributed mainly in the range of 5.0x10^6-1.0x10^7 g-mo1-1 and they accounted for 57.80% and 56.84% of total FP, respectively. The molar masses of UFP and MFP were distributed mainly in the 1.0x10^6-5.0x10^6 g.mol-1 range, which accounted for 38.24% and 52.39% of FP, respectively. WFP and UMFP in water were uniform spherical polymers; UFP and MFP were typical highly branched polymers and the degree of branching for MFP was higher compared to UFP. These results indicated the ultrasonic- and microwave-assisted extraction methods caused a significant decrease of the molar mass of FP but the ultrasonic/microwave synergistic extraction method had no effect.

Structural Features and Biological Activities of Bioactive Compounds from Fortunella margarita(Lour.) Swingle：A Review

Fortunella margarita（Lour.） Swingle, commonly known as kumquat, is the smallest citrus fruit. It thrives in southeastern China and is widely cultivated and consumed in the world due to its multiple health benefits. It has been used as an important herbal medicine in traditional Chinese medicine and also as one of the most popular fruits. There are various kinds of bioactive compounds in F. margarita, such as polysaccharides, limonoids, essential oils, flavonoids, phenolic acids, vitamins, dietary fiber, etc. In addition, many studies have reported that these bioactive compounds can be used as antioxidant, antimicrobial, hypolipidemic, drosophila lure components in functional foods, pharmaceuticals and daily chemical products due to their biological activities. This review focuses on the structural features and biological activities of polysaccharides, limonoids, essential oils and flavonoids and other bioactive substances from F. margarita and their potential applications in food, daily chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

STUDIES ON THE CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF CLAUSENA LANSIUM(LOUR.)SKEELS Ⅲ.The structural elucidation of homo-and zeta-clausenamide(1)

The structures of two novel lactams isolated from Clausena lansium were elucidated mainly on the bases of their spectral data. They are homoclausenamide(1),a -lactam,and zetaclausenamide(4), an eight-membered ring lactam.

The anti-tubercular activity of Melia azedarach L. and Lobelia chinensis Lour. and their potential as effective anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis candidate agents

Objective: To evaluate the anti-mycobacterial activity of Melia azedarach L.(M. azedarach) and Lobelia chinensis Lour.(L. chinensis) extracts against the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis(M. tuberculosis).Methods: The anti-M. tuberculosis activity of M. azedarach and L. chinensis extracts were evaluated using different indicator methods such as resazurin microtiter assay(REMA) and mycobacteria growth indicator tube(MGIT) 960 system assay. The M. tuberculosis was incubated with various concentrations(50–800 mg/m L) of the extracts for 5 days in the REMA, and for 4 weeks in MGIT 960 system assay.Results: M. azedarach and L. chinensis extracts showed their anti-M. tuberculosis activity by strongly inhibiting the growth of M. tuberculosis in a concentration-dependent manner in the REMA and the MGIT 960 system assay. Particularly, the methanol extract of M. azedarach and n-hexane extract of L. chinensis consistently exhibited their effects by effectively inhibiting the growth of M. tuberculosis in MGIT 960 system for 4 weeks with a single-treatment, indicating higher anti-M. tuberculosis activity than other extracts,and their minimum inhibitory concentrations were measured as 400 mg/m L and 800 mg/m L, respectively.Conclusions: These results demonstrate that M. azedarach and L. chinensis extracts not only have unique anti-M. tuberculosis activity, but also induce the selective antiM. tuberculosis effects by consistently inhibiting or blocking the growth of M. tuberculosis through a new pharmacological action. Therefore, this study suggests the potential of them as effective candidate agents of next-generation for developing a new anti-tuberculosis drug, as well as the advantage for utilizing traditional medicinal plants as one of effective strategies against tuberculosis.

Preliminary assessment of two non-destructive instrumental techniques for quality evaluation of Lobelia chinensis Lour.

Two non-destructive instrumental methods, infrared spectroscopy （IR） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）, were studied for qualiW evaluation of Lobelia chinensis Lour. （L chinensis）. We obtained the IR spectra and XRD patterns of L chinensis collected from different sources. The similarity of samples was analyzed by cal- culating the cosine coefficient. The cosine values were in the range of 0.83-0.90, indicating that the main components ofL chinensis samples are similar. Sample L1 and L6 showed a slightly lower similarity than that of L2, L3, L4, L5 detected by the two methods, which revealed that IR and XRD methods exhibited analogous detection ability for quality evaluation of L. chinensis. The two methods could be highly re- commended as simple and rapid detection means for quality evaluation of L. chinensis.

Genome-wide analysis of the CCCH zinc finger family in longan:Characteristic identification and expression profiles in Dimocarpus longan Lour

CCCH(C3 H) Zinc finger(Znf) transcription factors(TFs), as a novel type of Znf gene, regulate the expression of genes by binding to their mRNAs and play important roles in plant growth and development and abiotic stress resistance.Longan(Dimocarpous longan) is a tropical/subtropical fruit tree of great economic importance in Southeast Asia.However, genomic information on C3 H and their functions in longan are still unknown. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of the longan C3 H(DlC3 H) gene family was carried out. A total of 49 DlC3 H genes in three clades were identified from the longan genome database. Characteristics of the genes were analyzed with respect to gene structure,motif composition, phylogenetic tree and potential functions. The analysis of alternative splicing(AS) events suggested that AS events in DlC3 H genes were related to the transformation from longan non-embryonic to embryonic cultures.Promoter analysis indicated that most of the DlC3 H genes included cis-acting elements associated with hormones and stresses responses. Quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR) analysis indicated that 26 of the 49 DlC3 Hs, which possess methyl jasmonate(MeJA) and abscisic acid(ABA) responsive cis-acting elements, showed differential expression patterns under treatment with ABA, MeJA and their endogenous inhibitors, suggesting that DlC3 Hs might be involved in the ABA and MeJA signaling pathways. The expression profiles of 17 of the 49 DlC3 Hs in non-embryonic callus and three tissues of embryonic cultures showed that only five of the 17 DlC3 Hs had the same expression trends as the FPKM trends in transcriptome data;the expression levels of DlC3 H07/14/16/36/49 in embryogenic callus and DlC3 H04/38 in globular embryos were high, suggesting that they have different functions in embryonic development. Further, we verified that DlC3 H01/03/05/11/19/39 were regulated by sRNAs by a modified 5’ RLM-RACE method. This study provides the first systematic analysis of C3 H genes in longan, and found that C3 H genes may be involved in hormone and stress responses, and somatic embryogenesis. Our preliminary investigation may provide clues to further studies on the characteristics and functions of this family in longan.

n-Butanol Extract of Rhynchosia volubilis Lour: A Potent Spermicidal Agent In Vitro

Summary： Rhynchosia volubilis Lout has been a major drug in a folk prescription for contraception in China, whereas its mechanism remains unknown. Its antifertility effects on male mice and antimicrobial activities on sexually transmitted infection （STI） pathogens were previously reported. This study was undertaken to develop the n-Butanol extract of Rhynchosia volubilis Lour （BERVL） as a spermicidal agent with STI prevention. The spermicidal activities of BERVL with different doses were assessed using selected high-motile sperms of normal human semen samples, and their inhibitory effects on Lactobacillus acidophilus were determined. The mechanism of the spermicidal activity was explored by aqueous Eosin Y and Hoechst 33342/PI staining. The results showed spermicidal activities and inhibi- tory effects of BERVL on Lactobacillus acidophilus were dose-dependent. Dose of 90 mg/mL BERVL terminated all progressive sperm motility within 2 min, and had slight inhibitory effect on Lactobacillus acidophilus, suggesting it was an effective and safe dose for contraception use. About 80% sperms exposed to BERVL displayed changes consistent with high permeability of head membrane. It is concluded that BERVL as spermicide has advantages over N-9 with strong ability to instantaneously kill human sperm and possesses light inhibitory effect on Lactobacillus acidophilus.