Enterococcus faecalis provides protection during scavenging in carrion crow (Corvus corone)

The gut microbiota significantly influences host physiology and provides essential ecosystem services.While diet can affect the composition of the gut microbiota,the gut microbiota can also help the host adapt to specific dietary habits.The carrion crow(Corvus corone),an urban facultative scavenger bird,hosts an abundance of pathogens due to its scavenging behavior.Despite this,carrion crows infrequently exhibit illness,a phenomenon related to their unique physiological adaptability.At present,however,the role of the gut microbiota remains incompletely understood.In this study,we performed a comparative analysis using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing technology to assess colonic content in carrion crows and 16 other bird species with different diets in Beijing,China.Our findings revealed that the dominant gut microbiota in carrion crows was primarily composed of Proteobacteria(75.51%)and Firmicutes(22.37%).Significant differences were observed in the relative abundance of Enterococcus faecalis among groups,highlighting its potential as a biomarker of facultative scavenging behavior in carrion crows.Subsequently,E.faecalis isolated from carrion crows was transplanted into model mice to explore the protective effects of this bacterial community against Salmonella enterica infection.Results showed that E.faecalis down-regulated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α),interferon gamma(IFN-γ),and interleukin 6(IL-6),prevented S.enterica colonization,and regulated the composition of gut microbiota in mice,thereby modulating the host’s immune regulatory capacity.Therefore,E.faecalis exerts immunoregulatory and anti-pathogenic functions in carrion crows engaged in scavenging behavior,offering a representative case of how the gut microbiota contributes to the protection of hosts with specialized diets.

Control of the Dust Vertical Distribution over Western Africa by Convection and Scavenging

Saharan dust represents more than 50%of the total desert dust emitted around the globe and its radiative effect significantly affects the atmospheric circulation at a continental scale.Previous studies on dust vertical distribution and the Saharan Air Layer(SAL)showed some shortcomings that could be attributed to imperfect representation of the effects of deep convection and scavenging.The authors investigate here the role of deep convective transport and scavenging on the vertical distribution of mineral dust over Western Africa.Using multi-year(2006-2010)simulations performed with the variable-resolution(zoomed)version of the LMDZ climate model.Simulations are compared with aerosol amounts recorded by the Aerosol Robotic Network(AERONET)and with vertical profiles of the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization(CALIOP)measurements.LMDZ allows a thorough examination of the respective roles of deep convective transport,convective and stratiform scavenging,boundary layer transport,and advection processes on the vertical mineral dust distribution over Western Africa.The comparison of simulated dust Aerosol Optical Depth(AOD)and distribution with measurements suggest that scavenging in deep convection and subsequent re-evaporation of dusty rainfall in the lower troposphere are critical processes for explaining the vertical distribution of desert dust.These processes play a key role in maintaining a well-defined dust layer with a sharp transition at the top of the SAL and in establishing the seasonal cycle of dust distribution.This vertical distribution is further reshaped offshore in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone(ITCZ)over the Atlantic Ocean by marine boundary layer turbulent and convective transport and wet deposition at the surface.

Comparative Analysis of the Antioxidant and Free-Radical Scavenging Activities of Different Water-Soluble Extracts of Green, Black and Oolong Tea Samples

Extracts of 40 green, black or oolong high quality tea samples from China, Japan or India among others, have been prepared according to the manufacturer instructions and assayed for total polyphenols content using the Folin-Ciocalteu phenol reagent. In addition, the antioxidant activity was assessed by the CUPRAC method and the free-radical scavenging activity was determined using the antioxidant-promoting decay of the stable free-radical DPPH. Caffeine and the most important catechins were identified using RP-HPLC previously validated method. Results from this study suggest that teas, even though they content similar amounts of caffeine, differ considerably in polyphenolic content and therefore in antioxidant and free-radical scavenging activities, depending on the part of the plant used and the process applied to the material for the preparation of the final tea presentation. Correlations among Folin-Ciocalteau’s reactivity of tea samples, the neocuproine reactivity, the DPPH decolourization and the HPLC analysis suggest that the antioxidant activity is due essentially to polyphenolic compounds present in teas, mainly EGCG. The best extraction method of tea powder was the one indicated by dealers. In general, the richest samples belong to green teas and the poorest samples belong to the black teas.

A Novel Dominant Allele from 93-11, ES(4), Represses Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging and Leads to Early-Senescence in Rice

Senescence is the last developmental process in plant,which has an important impact on crop yield and quality.In this study,a stable hereditary early-senescence line BC64 was isolated from the high-generation recombinant inbred lines of 93-11 and Wuyunjing7(W7).Genetic analysis showed that the premature aging phenotype was controlled by a dominant gene derived from 93-11.By linkage analysis,the gene was primarily mapped in the region between marker B4 and B5 near the centromere of chromosome 4,described as ES(4).Through multiple backcrossing with W7,the near-isogenic line of ES(4)(NIL-ES(4))was obtained.Compared with wild-type W7,NIL-ES(4)plants showed more sever senescence phenotype in both nature and dark conditions.In NIL plants,leaves turned yellow at the fully tillering stage;photosynthetic rate,pollen fertility and seed setting rate were decreased.Moreover,the malondialdehyde,proline content and relative conductivity in NIL-ES(4)were significantly higher than those in W7;both transcript level and activities of reactive oxygen species scavenging enzymes were repressed;H2O2 and O^(2−)were significantly accumulated.This study provides a basis for further cloning and function identification of ES(4).

A Review of Thermo- and Diffusio-Phoresis in the Atmospheric Aerosol Scavenging Process. Part 2: Ice Crystal and Snow Scavenging

The role of phoretic forces in the identification of particles acting as ice nuclei in mixed phase cloud is discussed. A method used to identify the effective ice nucleating particles is to sample ice crystals, which are afterwards sublimated, and to examine the particles remaining after evaporation. The procedure takes into account only crystal with a maximum diameter of 20 μm, by assuming that small crystals do not scavenge aerosol during growth, and therefore that crystals contain only the effective nucleating particles. This assumption is questionable, however, as experiments have shown that even small ice crystals can scavenge aerosol. Another approach has been to compare the number and elemental composition of residual particles in small ice crystals and of aerosol near the cloud. By considering as example soot and black carbon aerosol, contradictory conclusions on their importance in the processes of ice nucleation have been reported in the literature. We suggest that, in addition to physico-chemical properties of soot/carbon aerosol particles, even the microphysical and environmental parameters involved in the transition of aerosol from gas phase to ice crystals in cloud should be considered. The contribution of phoretic forces should also be considered. After initial growth ice crystals can continue to grow by water vapour diffusion. Laboratory experiments confirm the contribution of diffusiophoresis with Stefan flow in the scavenging by snow crystals up to 3 mm in diameter. The particle scavenging efficiency of snow crystals is related to crystalline shape and depends on air relative humidity and temperature.

Component Analysis and Free Radicals Scavenging Activity of Physalis alkekengi L. Polysaccharide

A crude polysaccharide was extracted from Physalis alkekengi L. fruit. HPLC was used for the component analysis of the polysaccharide. The results indicate that Physalis alkekengi L. polysaccharide（PAP） was composed of rhamnose, xylose, arabinose, galactose, and glucose. Free radicals scavenging activity of PAP was studied through 3 free radicals scavenging tests. PAP exhibited high scavenging effects on OH and DPPH radicals, and both the scavenging rates were about 80%. The scavenging rate of O2^- radical was about 22%.

STUDIES ON FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY IN CHINESE SEAWEEDS PART I. SCREENING RESULTS

Antioxidants have attracted the attention of researchers due to their beneficial effects as free radical scavengers. Application of a stable free radical named 1,1 diphenyl 2 picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) to screen the free radical scavenging activity in 27 species of Chinese seaweed showed that 15 of them had significant activity in at least one of the organic solvent extracts. The most interesting seaweed species were Gelidium amansii, Gloiosiphonia capillaris, Polysiphonia urceolata, Sargassum kjellmanianum, Desmarestia viridis, and Rhodomela teres.

Flavonoid content and radical scavenging activity in fruits of Chinese dwarf cherry(Cerasus humilis) genotypes

The Chinese dwarf cherry（Cerasus humilis（Bge.） Sok.） is a small shrub with edible fruits. It is native to northern and western China. This species was included as a medicinal plant in the ‘‘Chinese Pharmacopeia’’ and has emerged as an economically important crop for fresh fruit consumption, processing into juice and wine and nutraceutical products as well. To gain a better understanding of flavonoid biosynthesis and help develop value added products and better cultivars with greater health benefits, we analyzed total flavonoid content（TFC）, composition, and radical scavenging activities in fruit extracts of 16 Chinese dwarf cherry genotypes. Fruit peel TFC ranged from 33.5 to72.8 mg/g REáFW（RE： rutin equivalent, FW： fresh weight）while fruit flesh TFC ranged from 4.3 to 16.9 mg/g REáFW.An HPLC analysis revealed that fruit extracts contained 14 flavonoids with considerable variation in their profiles across genotypes. The most abundant flavonoids in most genotypes were proanthocyanidin B1（PA-B1）, proanthocyanidin B2（PA-B2）, phloretin 20-O-glucoside（PG）, and phloretin 20,40-O-diglucoside（PDG）. Principal component analysis showed that PG, PA-B1, and PA-B2 had large,positive factor loading values in the first principal component for each genotype. Increased scavenging activity of2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl（DPPH） radicals was apparent in genotypes ‘Nongda 4’, ‘Nongda 3’, ‘Nongda 6’,‘Wenfenli’, and ’10-32’, suggesting promising applications in the production of nutraceutical products. In summary, our results will aid in breeding, fruit processing, and developing medicinal uses of the Chinese dwarf cherry.

Phytochemical screening and free radical scavenging activity of Citrullus colocynthis seeds extracts

Objective:To study the phytochemical screening of different extracts from Citrullus colocynthis(C.colocynthis)seeds extracts and to assess their antioxidant activity on the DPPH free radical scavenging.Methods:Phytochemical screening,total content of polyphenols and flavonoids of C.colocynthis seeds extracts,including a crude aqueous extract(E1),a defatted aqueous extract(E2),a hydromethanolic extract(HM),an ethyl acetate extract(EA)and a n-butanol extract(n-B)was carried out according to the standard methods and to assess their corresponding effect on the antioxidant activity of this plant.Results:None of these extracts contained detectable amount of alkaloid,quinone,antraquinone,or reducing sugar.Catechic tannins and flavonoids were abundant in E1,MM and EA,whilst terpenoids were abundantly present in E1 and n-B but only weekly in HM.Coumarins were found in E2,EA and n-B.Polyphenols,expressed as gallic acid equivalent,amounted,per 100 g plant matter,to 329,1002 and 150 mg in EA,HM an E1 respectively.Flavonoids,expressed as catechin equivalent,amounted.per 100 g plant matter to 620,241 and 94 mg in EA,HM and E1 respectively.Comparable values were found in n-B and E1,with lower values in E2.Quercetin,myricetin and gallic acid were found in the EA and HM extracts by thin layer chromatography,The antioxidative effect of these extracts yielded,when tested at a concentration of 2000μg/mL in a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay,a reducing percentage of 88.8%with EA,74.5%with HM and 66.2%with E1,and corresponding IC_(50)of 350,580and 500μg/mL as compared to 1.1μg/mL for ascorbic acid.Conclusions:These qualitative and quantitative analytical data document the presence in C.colocynthis extracts of such chemical compounds as flavonoids responsible for the antioxidant activity,as well as other biological activities of this plant.

New Active Organic Substance in Oyster Shell Capable of Scavenging Oxygen Free Radicals with High Efficiency

A light purple organic active substance capable of scavenging hydroxyl radical（OH） with a high efficiency was extracted from Oyster shell at an extraction rate of 2.49%. It was found for the first time that this active substance may scavenge OH with the efficiency far higher than that of vitamin C. This active substance may scavenge also superoxide radical（O2） although the scavenging efficiency is far lower than that of vitamin C. Infrared spectrometry and routine chemical analysis primarily reveal that this active substance belongs to glycoprotein.

Scavenging of Cd through Fe/Mn oxides within natural surface coatings

The dynamics of Cd scavenging from solutions by Fe/Mn oxides in natural surface coatings （NSCs） was investigated under laboratory conditions. Selective extraction methods were employed to estimate the contributions of Fe/Mn oxides, where hydroxylamine hydrochloride （0.01 mol/L NH2OH-HCl ＋ 0.01 mol/L HNO3）, sodium dithionite （0.4 mol/L Na2S2O4） and nitric acid （10% HNO3） were used as extraction reagents. The Cd scavenging was accomplished with developing periods of the NSCs （totally 21 data sets）. The resulting process dynamics fitted well to the Elovich equation, demonstrating that the amount of Cd scavenged was proportional to the increments of Fe/Mn oxides that were accumulated in the NSCs. The amount of Cd bound to Fe oxides （MCdFe） and Mn oxides （MCdMn） could be quantified by solving two equations based on the properties of two extraction reagents. The amount of Cd scavenged by Fe/Mn oxides could also be estimated using MCdFe and MCdMn divided by the total amounts of Fe and Mn oxides in the NSCs, respectively. The results indicated that the Cd scavenging by Fe/Mn oxides was dominated by Fe oxides, with less roles attributed to Mn oxides. The estimated levels of Cd scavenging through Fe and Mn oxides agreed well with those predicted through additive-adsorption and linear-regression models.

Antioxidant activity and free radical scavenging activities of Streptomyces sp.strain MJM 10778

Objective:To investigate the antioxidant activity of soil-borne aetinobacteria.Methods:The total phenolic contents,the level of antioxidant potential by DPPH radical scavenging activity,MO scavenging activity,and ABTS radical scavenging activity in ethyl acelale extract were determined.Results:The 16 S rDNA sequencing analysis revealed that Streptomyces sp.strain MJM 10778.which was isolated from Hambak Mountain.Korea,has 99.9% similarity to Streptomyces misionensis(S.misionenis) NBRC 13063.The physiological and the morphological test revealed that the strain MJM 10778 has different characteristics from the strain NBRC.13063.The entire antioxidant assay with the ethyl acelale extract displayed good radical scavenging activity.The IC_(50) values of the strain MJM 10778 extract on DPPH,.NO.and ABTS radicals were identified to he 92.8 μg/mL,0.02 μg/ml,and 134.9 μg/mL,respectively.The ethyl acetate extract of the strain MJM 10778 showed an 81.500% of cell viability at 100 μg/mL in Raw264.7cell viability assay.Conclusions:The results obtained suggesl that the ethyl acetate extract of Streptomyces sp.strain MJM 10778 could be considered as a potential source of drug for the diseases that is caused by free radicals with its anti-oxidant activities and low cytotoxicity.

Peroxynitrite Scavenging Activities of Resveratrol and Piceid

In vitro antioxidant activities of resveratrol and piceid against peroxynitrite（ONOO-） were examined by the inhibition of 3-nitrotyrosine formation.Trolox was used as a positive control.Resveratrol and piceid exhibited high ONOO--scavenging activities in a concentration dependent manner.The antioxidant activities（the concentration of test compound required to yield a 50% inhibition of tyrosine nitration,IC 50） of resveratrol and piceid against ONOO-were（48.34±0.97） and（74.69±1.49） μmol/L,respectively.Compared with that of trolox[（105.40±1.16） μmol/L],their scavenging activities were 2.2-and 1.5-fold higher for resveratrol and piceid.Formation of nitroresveratrol as shown by UV-Vis spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-tandom mass spectrometry（LC-MS/MS） analysis indicates that resveratrol could directly scavenge ONOO-via nitration reaction.Our results demonstrate that foods and medicinal herbs with resveratrol and piceid as stronger ONOO-scavengers are valuable ingredients and have healthy application in preventing humans from peroxynitrite-mediated oxidative damage by scavenging peroxynitrite efficiently.

Constituents from Aerial Parts of Bidens ceruna L. and Their DPPH Radical Scavenging Activity

A new chalcone glycoside, butein-4-methoxyl-4′-O-（6＂-O-acetyl）-β-D-glucopyranoside（2）, along with seven known compounds, namely, quercitrin（1）, luteolin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside（3）, butein-4＇-O-β-D-glucopyranoside（4）, butein-4-methoxyl-4＇-O-β-D-glucopyranoside（5）, butin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside（6）, isoquercitrin（7）, and sulfurein（8） was isolated from aerial parts of Bidens ceruna L. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic studies. Compounds 1-8 were tested for their DPPH radical scavenging activity and, except compounds 2 and 5, other compounds showed scavenging activitv.

GC-MS analysis,determination of total phenolics,flavonoid content and free radical scavenging activities of various crude extracts of Moringa peregrina(Forssk.) Fiori leaves

Objective:To perform phytochemical screening,estimate total phenolics,flavonoids and to evaluate antioxidant potential of Moringa peregrina(M.peregrina) leaves.Methods:The dried powdered leaves of M.peregrina(150 g) were extracted exhaustively by Soxhlet with ethanol and then fractionated into hexane,chloroform,ethy alacetate and methanol.All the prepared extracts were also analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify and characterize the chemical compounds present in the crude extracts.Folin- Ciocalteu reagent and aluminium chloride colorimetric methods were used to estimate total phenolic and flavonoid content of extracts.Hydrogen peroxide and 1,1 diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl were used to determine in vitro antioxidant activity.Results:Phytochemical analysis of ethanol extract showed presence of major classes of phytochemicals.Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results revealed presence of 19 phytoconstituents in hexane extract,6 in ethyl acetate and 7 compounds in methanolic extract.Methanol extract was found to contain the highest phenolic content and flavonoids.In vitro antioxidant activities of all crude extracts were significant and comparable with the standard ascorbic acid.Conclusions:Results of this study show that the leaves of M.peregrina are the rich source of phenolic compounds that can play an important role in preventing the progression of many diseases.

DPPH Radical Scavenging Capacity of Phenolic Extracts from African Yam Bean (<i>Sphenostylis stenocarpa</i>)

The phenolic extracts of the seeds of African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) were studied using different extraction solvents (70% ethanol, 80% acetone and acidic 70% acetone) and two heat treatment methods (dry heating on a hot plate with acid-washed sea sand at 135℃ for 25 min and wet heating in an autoclave at 120℃ for 20 min). The study examined the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and condensed tannin content (CTC) of the seed extracts, as well as their free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties. The raw African yam bean seed was dry heated in air oven at 100℃ for 5 min (control). Heat treatments application affected the phenolic contents of the seeds significantly (p < 0.05). The free radical scavenging activity of the phenolics were done using 2,2-diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The effectiveness of the extract was determined using DPPH at 50 mg/g, 10 mg/g and 5 mg/g of the extracts. At 5 mg/g, the extract was most effective indicating that higher concentration of extract gave higher antioxidant activity. The seed has high antioxidant capacity and an appreciable amount of phenolic extracts.

Evaluation of free radical scavenging activity of various extracts of leaves from Kedrostis foetidissima(Jacq.)Cogn

The present study was aimed to investigate the in vitro free radical scavenging activity of various leaf extracts(aqueous,methanol,acetone chloroform and petroleum ether)of Kedrostis foetidissima.In vitro free radical scavenging activities of the extracts were assessed against DPPH and hydroxyl radicals.The metal chelating activity and reducing power ability of the extracts were also determined.The free radical scavenging activity was found to be high in methanolic extract for DPPH and hydroxyl radicals in a concentration dependent manner followed by chloroform,aqueous,acetone and petroleum ether extracts.The metal chelating activity and reducing power ability was also found to be high in methanolic extract.The difference in scavenging potential of the extracts may be due to variation in the percentage of phytoconstituents extracted in various solvents.Thus the result suggests that the methanolic leaf extract of K.foetidissima could serve as a potential source of antioxidants and can be explored as a therapeutic agent in free radical induced diseases.©2015 Beijing Academy of Food Sciences.Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.

Physicochemical and radical scavenging activities of honey samples from Malaysia

The physical properties, total phenols, total flavonoid content and free radical scavenging activities of honey samples from Malaysia were investigated. The physical properties of Tualang, Gelam and Acacia honey samples, in terms of pH, color, moisture, electrical conductivity and total soluble solid were significantly different (p = 0.000). Gelam honey was reported to have the highest total phenols (606.17 mg GAE/kg honey) and flavonoid content (183.43 mg RE/kg honey). Tualang honey was reported to have the highest free radical scavenging activity with the IC50, 72.75 g/L compared to Gelam (77.41 g/L) and Acacia (90.83 g/L). There is no significant difference has been revealed among honey samples for radical scavenging activity (p = 0.827). Nevertheless, strong correlation was obtained between pH, color, electrical conductivity and total soluble solid with the scavenging activity of all honey samples with the correlative coefficient, r = 0.979, 0.902, 0.917 and 0.957, respectively. The establishment of the statistical correlation could be useful for honey related industry.

Butein imparts free radical scavenging, anti-oxidative and proapoptotic properties in the flower extracts of Butea monosperma

The flower of Butea monosperma(Lam.)(Fabaceae)has been used in traditional Indian medicine in the treatment of many ailments including liver disorders.To understand the pharmacological basis of its beneficial effects,the extracts of dried flowers in water,methanol,butanol,ethyl acetate and acetone were evaluated for free radical scavenging and pro-apoptotic activities in cell cultures(human hepatoma Huh-7 cell line and immortalized AML-12 mouse hepatocytes).Butrin and butein-the active constituents of flower extracts-were used as reference molecules.The levels of cell injury markers like lactate dehydrogenase,glutathione and lipid peroxidation and primary antioxidant enzymes glutathione S-transferase and catalase were also measured.The aqueous and butanolic extracts exhibited better 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging and cytotoxic activities in hepatoma cells than in immortalized hepatocytes.Interestingly,butein inhibited 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical better than butrin.The aqueous and butanolic extracts were further investigated for hepatoprotection against carbon tertrachloride-induced biochemical changes and cell death.Both extracts,just as butrin and butein,significantly reversed the cellular glutathione levels and lipid peroxidation,and glutathione–S-transferase activity.Lactate dehydrogenase leakage and cell death were also prevented.However,only butein revived the catalase activity.Thus,the butein content of Butea monosperma flower extracts is important for free radical scavenging activity,apoptotic cell death and protection against oxidative injury in hepatic cells.

Effect of Cd, Pb Stress on the Activated Oxygen Scavenging System in Tobacco Leaves

The effect of Cd, Pb stress on the activated oxygen scavenging system indicates thatthe content of chlorophyll, chlorophyll a/b ratio and the activity of CAT gradually decrease,the activity of SOD increases first and then decreases, and the activity of POD gradually increases with increasing concentrations of Cd and Ph. Between Cd and Ph there is synergism inthe activated oxygen scavenging system. The results show that the stress of Cd and Pb can affect the scavenging system of activated oxygen and result in imbalance of activated oxygenmetabolism.