Spectrum-Toxicity Correlation Study Revealed the Influence of the Nine-Time Steaming and Sun Drying Method on Hepatotoxic Components of Polygoni Multiflori Radix

Objective:Polygoni Multiflori Radix(PM)is a traditional herbal medicine with repeated reports of liver injury events in recent years.We wondered whether the classical processing method,namely,nine-time steaming and sun drying(NSSD),had toxicity-attenuating effects on PM and the relationships between toxicity and times of processing,as well as with the alteration trends of its compounds.Materials and Methods:The chemical fingerprints of different PM extracts were developed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography.The spectrum-toxicity correlation between the chemical fingerprints and hepatocellular toxicity was analyzed with multiple correlation analysis.Results:The results suggested that the hepatotoxicity of NSSD processing products markedly decreased with the repeated steaming and sun drying,which was obviously superior to the product processed by the modern method.Comprehensive analysis revealed that the contents of cis-stilbene glycoside and emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside related to liver injury susceptibility were reduced with the times of NSSD processing,which was consistent with the decreased trend of hepatocellular toxicity.After the five times of NSSD,the contents of them as well as the hepatotoxicity of PM were steady.Moreover,we found that the contents of catechin and physcion declined rapidly after the one time of NSSD and then remained stable until the nine times of NSSD.Based on the fact,they could be utilized to indicate whether PM products were processed by steaming and sun drying.Conclusions:This paper confirmed that the NSSD had a good influence on the toxicity attenuating to PM and found four compounds which could apply for the quality control of PM.

Antioxidant Effect of Plants Aqueous Extract on Lipid Stability of <i>Oreochromis niloticus</i>during Traditional Sun and Smoke Drying in Far-North Cameroon

Fishes are suitable for sun drying and smoking. But their high contains of unsaturated fatty acids make them very prone to lipid oxidation. However, some plants are rich in natural antioxidants and have been shown to be potent inhibitors of lipid oxidation during processing of meat. The effect of three aqueous plants extracts on lipid stability of Oreochromis niloticus collected in Far-North Cameroon during processing was evaluated. Results show the high nutritious of these fish with high levels of proteins, lipid and ash (71.02%, 13.71% and 10.65%, respectively). It has been observed that oleic acid (C18:1), followed by palmitic acid (C16:0) and linoleic acid (C18:2) are the most dominant fatty acids present in Oreochromis niloticus lipids. Their lipid also showed a much higher content of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) compared to omega 6 PUFA. The total phenolic contents (TPC) of the three plants ranged from 12,150 to 16,050 mg/100 g. The leaves of Moringa oleifera exhibited the higher content of TPC. The results of iodine, peroxide value and thiobarbituric acids test were revealed that the aqueous extracts of the tree plants had antioxidant properties. These plants extracts inhibit lipid oxidation of Oreochromis niloticus during processing. Increasing of the concentration of plant extracts enhanced their antioxidant activities and the highest oxidation inhibitor was obtained at 30 g/l. Moringa oleifera leaves inhibit highly the lipid oxidation of Oreochromis niloticus.

Study of the best decocting time of sun dried ginseng by using the hyperspectral imaging technology

In this research,a new method based on the hyperspectral imaging for searching the best decocting time of sun dried ginseng is reported.The spectral images at diferent decocting time of test sample have been taken by the st aring hyperspectral fAuorescence imaging systen and the solubility of active ingredients have been discussed by analyzing the changes on the spectral.curves.The spectr al range of the system is 400-720nm and the spectral resolution is 5nm.In the decocting process,the active ingredients of nonsoaked ginseng was dissolved in the tissue fluid at first,and reached equilibrium condition at last after the precipitation-dissolution reciprocating process of boiling.At last,the experiment al results show that the best decoction time of sun dried ginseng is about 60 min after boiling.

Application of Texture Measures to Study Effect of B Chromosomes on the 3D Architecture of Plant Chromatin

Background: Supernumerary chromosomes (B) comprise optional complement to basic (A) chromosome set. The presence of B-chromosomes may significantly reduce plant vigor and fertility. Potentially active genes constitute only small fraction of DNA of these chromosomes indicating that these effects are mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. One example is down-regulation of rDNA genes and condensation of their respective chromatin regions (demonstrated in squashed preparations using 2D microscopy). It may be postulated that the presence of B chromosomes leads to more extensive changes of local chromatin structure. Verification of hypothesis requires studying 3D spatial architecture of intact nuclei in tissue. Results: An image processing algorithm was developed and applied for isolation (from the confocal datasets) of regions corresponding to single nuclei. The nuclei were segmented using iterative global thresholding followed by growing and merging of regions belonging to different nuclei. The result of segmentation was verified by a human observer. Chromatin architecture was characterized quantitatively using global fluorescence intensity distribution measures (mean, variance) and local intensity distribution parameters (haraclick features, wavelet energy, run- length features). The sets of parameters corresponding to populations of nuclei with different number of B-chromo- somes were subjected to discriminate analysis. The distinct parameters were then correlated with depth in tissue at which a given nucleus was positioned. Conclusions: Combination of light microscopy with dedicated image processing and analysis framework made it possible to study chromatin architecture in nuclei containing various number of B chromosomes. These data indicate that alterations of 3D chromatin distribution occur globally in the interphase nuclei in the presence of Bs. The changes occur at the spatial scale comparable with the resolution limit of light microscopy and at larger distances.