Rapid determination of tannin in Danshen and Guanxinning injections using UV spectrophotometry for quality control

A technique for the determination of tannin content in traditional Chinese medicine injections(TCMI)was developed based on ultraviolet(UV)spectroscopy.Chemometrics were used to construct a mathematical model of absorption spectrum and tannin reference content of Danshen and Guanxinning injections,and the model was veried and applied.The results showed that the established UV-based spectral partial least squares regression(PLS)tannin content model performed well with a correlation coefficient(r)of 0.952,root mean square error of calibration(RMSEC)of 0.476
g/ml,root mean square error of validation(RMSEV)of 1.171
g/ml,and root mean square error of prediction(RMSEP)of 0.465
g/ml.Pattern recognition models using linear discriminant analysis(LDA)and k nearest neighbor(k-NN)classiers based on UV spectrum could successfully classify different types of injections and different manufacturers.The established method to measure tannin content based on UV spectroscopy is simple,rapid and reliable and provides technical support for quality control of tannin in Chinese medicine injections.

Androecious Genotype ‘Male 8' Carries the CPCNA Gene Locus Controlling Natural Deastringency of Chinese PCNA Persimmons

The androecious genotype of Diospyros spp. ‘Male 8', which is distributed in Dabie Mountain area of the central China, was probably derived from the hybrids or natural variation of Chinese pollination constant and non-astringent(CPCNA) persimmon. Its application potential as the breeding parent of pollination constant and non-astringent(PCNA) is undefined. In this study, we identified the astringency type of a hybrid individual(H8-2) derived from the cross between ‘Huashi 1'(pollination variant and astringent, PVA) and ‘Male 8'. Through comparison with the known genotypes of CPCNA, Japanese PCNA(JPCNA) and non-PCNA, the results of soluble/insoluble tannin content and tannin cell size measure showed that H8-2 was a PCNA genotype with the characteristic of natural deastringency of CPCNA. According to the currently known genetic features of PCNA persimmon, a new individual of PCNA may be generated in F1 population when two JPCNA genotypes are crossed or when the CPCNA genotype is used as a parent. Thus, the study verifies that androecious genotype ‘Male 8' carries the dominant gene locus that controls the non-astringent trait of CPCNA, indicating its potential to be used as pollen donor for the genetic improvement of PCNA persimmon.

Neighborhood effects on the tannin-related foraging decisions of two rodent species under semi-natural conditions

Neighborhood effects on seed predation and dispersal processes are usually seed-characteristic-dependent;however,how seeds with certain characteristics affect the foraging behavior of rodents in relation to other seeds nearby is unclear.Because large differences in seed characteristics between neighboring seeds may lead to significant differences in rodent foraging preferences,we hypothesized that neighborhood effects were more likely to be detected when paired seeds differed in seed characteristics.We investigated the foraging decisions of two rodent species,the red spiny rat Maxomys surifer and the Chinese white-bellied rat Niviventer confucianus,in semi-natural enclosures by presenting them with artificial seeds containing different levels of tannin(0,3%,and 6%tannin).Both rodents showed similar preferences and preferentially consumed high-tannin seeds(6%tannin)and scatter hoarded low-tannin seeds(0 tannin).The scatter hoarding of low-tannin(0 tannin)and high-tannin(6%tannin)seeds was significantly higher when these seeds were neighboring higher-tannin seeds than when they neighbored lowertannin seeds,whereas the scatter hoarding of intermediate-tannin seeds(3%tannin)varied little when they had different neighbors.High-tannin-seed(6%tannin)scatter hoarding was lowest when they neighbored low-tannin seeds(0 tannin),while low-tannin-seed(0 tannin)scatter hoarding was highest when they neighbored high-tannin seeds(6%tannin).Therefore,the seeds that the rodents scatter hoarded were next to(neighbored)seeds that they preferred to eat immediately,and vice versa.Our findings suggest that seed neighborhood effects affect rodent foraging behavior and the relationship between plants and rodents,and may have a profound effect on the regeneration and spatial structure of plant communities.