Involvement of C6-volatiles in quality formation of herbal medicine: A case study in Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus

In this study, the effects of exogenous C6-volatiles on Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus growth and secondary metabolism were explored. Five-week old seedlings of A. membranaceus var. mongholicus were exposed to different concentrations of soil-borne hexanal (10, 50, 100 μM) twice/week for 4 weeks. Non-treated plants serve as control. Growth, bioactive compounds and gene expression were measured by conventional and “omic” approaches. The results demonstrated: (1) all doses of hexanal significantly decreased chlorophyll a/b contents; (2) 10 and 100 μM hexanal significantly decreased the shoot length while 50 μM hexanal kept the value at the same level as it was in the control; (3) 50 μM hexanal effectively enhanced the contents of bioactive compounds in roots and the others had no obvious effect; (4) 50 μM hexanal induced more dysregulated metabolites in leaves than in roots, especially those associated with lipid metabolism; (5) expression of unigenes annotaed as “plant-pathogen interaction”, “secondary metabolism” and “lipid metabolism” were largely induced as well as those classified into multiple growth and defense signaling pathways. Taken together, C6-volatiles can serve as potential elicitors for quality formation of herbal medicines. The online version of this article (doi: 10.5073/JABFQ.2017.090.027) contains supplementary files

An Update on Eosinophilic Esophagitis: Etiological Factors, Coexisting Diseases, and Complications

BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an immune-mediated clinicopathological condition characterized by esophageal infiltration with eosinophils resulting in chronic inflammation and stricture. SUMMARY: The recent increase in the incidence of EoE and the characteristic presentation of symptoms with difficulty swallowing and food bolus impaction has raised key concerns of clinicians as well as researchers. EoE often presents with dysphagia, food impaction, nausea, regurgitation or vomiting, and decreased appetite. It is more common in males, affecting both adults and children. The causative manner of this condition is complex and multifactorial. Throughout recent years, researchers have made a significant contribution to understanding the pathogenesis of EoE, genetic background, natural history, work on allergy, and standardization in the evaluation of disease activity. There is relatively high prevalence of EoE among the population, emphasizing the importance of this disease. Key messages: Esophageal involvement with eosinophils may be manifested as isolated or with coexisting conditions and should be taken into consideration in the differential diagnosis. This study aimed to provide gastroenterologists with novel insights into the evaluation of esophageal involvement with eosinophils and to pay special attention to the etiological factors, coexisting clinical diseases, and complications

Effect of symbiotic fungi-Armillaria gallica on the yield of Gastrodia elata Bl. and insight into the response of soil microbial community

Armillaria members play important roles in the nutrient supply and growth modulation of Gastrodia elata Bl., and they will undergo severe competition with native soil organisms before colonization and become symbiotic with G. elata. Unraveling the response of soil microbial organisms to symbiotic fungi will open up new avenues to illustrate the biological mechanisms driving G. elata’s benefit from Armillaria. For this purpose, Armillaria strains from four main G. elata production areas in China were collected, identified, and co-planted with G. elata in Guizhou Province. The result of the phylogenetic tree indicated that the four Armillaria strains shared the shortest clade with Armillaria gallica. The yields of G. elata were compared to uncover the potential role of these A. gallica strains. Soil microbial DNA was extracted and sequenced using Illumina sequencing of 16S and ITS rRNA gene amplicons to decipher the changes of soil bacterial and fungal communities arising from A. gallica strains. The yield of G. elata symbiosis with the YN strain (A. gallica collected from Yunnan) was four times higher than that of the GZ strain (A. gallica collected from Guizhou) and nearly two times higher than that of the AH and SX strains (A. gallica collected from Shanxi and Anhui). We found that the GZ strain induced changes in the bacterial community, while the YN strain mainly caused changes in the fungal community. Similar patterns were identified in non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis, in which the GZ strain greatly separated from others in bacterial structure, while the YN strain caused significant separation from other strains in fungal structure. This current study revealed the assembly and response of the soil microbial community to A. gallica strains and suggested that exotic strains of A. gallica might be helpful in improving the yield of G. elata by inducing changes in the soil fungal community

Authenticating the geographic origins of Atractylodes lancea rhizome chemotypes in China through metabolite marker identification

IntroductionAtractylodes lancea is widely distributed in East Asia, ranging from Amur to south-central China. The rhizome of A. lancea is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, however, the quality of products varies across different regions with different geochemical characteristics.MethodThis study aimed to identify the chemotypes of A. lancea from different areas and screen for chemical markers by quantifying volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using a targeted metabolomics approach based on GC–MS/MS.ResultsThe A. lancea distributed in Hubei, Anhui, Shaanxi, and a region west of Henan province was classified as the Hubei Chemotype (HBA). HBA is characterized by high content of β-eudesmol and hinesol with lower levels of atractylodin and atractylon. In contrast, the Maoshan Chemotype (MA) from Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, and other northern regions, exhibited high levels of atractylodin and atractylon. A total of 15 categories of VOCs metabolites were detected and identified, revealing significant differences in the profiles of terpenoid, heterocyclic compound, ester, and ketone among different areas. Multivariate statistics indicated that 6 compounds and 455 metabolites could serve as candidate markers for differentiating A. lancea obtained from the southern, northern, and Maoshan areas.DiscussionThis comprehensive analysis provides a chemical fingerprint of selected A. lancea. Our results highlight the potential of metabolite profiling combined with chemometrics for authenticating the geographical origin of A. lancea

The discovery and characterization of AeHGO in the branching route from shikonin biosynthesis to shikonofuran in Arnebia euchroma

Shikonin derivatives are natural naphthoquinone compounds and the main bioactive components produced by several boraginaceous plants, such as Lithospermum erythrorhizon and Arnebia euchroma. Phytochemical studies utilizing both L. erythrorhizon and A. euchroma cultured cells indicate the existence of a competing route branching out from the shikonin biosynthetic pathway to shikonofuran. A previous study has shown that the branch point is the transformation from (Z)-3’’-hydroxy-geranylhydroquinone to an aldehyde intermediate (E)-3’’-oxo-geranylhydroquinone. However, the gene encoding the oxidoreductase that catalyzes the branch reaction remains unidentified. In this study, we discovered a candidate gene belonging to the cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase family, AeHGO, through coexpression analysis of transcriptome data sets of shikonin-proficient and shikonin-deficient cell lines of A. euchroma. In biochemical assays, purified AeHGO protein reversibly oxidized (Z)-3’’-hydroxy-geranylhydroquinone to produce (E)-3’’-oxo-geranylhydroquinone followed by reversibly reducing (E)-3’’-oxo-geranylhydroquinone to (E)-3’’-hydroxy-geranylhydroquinone, resulting in an equilibrium mixture of the three compounds. Time course analysis and kinetic parameters showed that the reduction of (E)-3’’-oxo-geranylhydroquinone was stereoselective and efficient in presence of NADPH, which determined that the overall reaction proceeded from (Z)-3’’-hydroxy-geranylhydroquinone to (E)-3’’-hydroxy-geranylhydroquinone. Considering that there is a competition between the accumulation of shikonin and shikonofuran derivatives in cultured plant cells, AeHGO is supposed to play an important role in the metabolic regulation of the shikonin biosynthetic pathway. Characterization of AeHGO should help expedite the development of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology toward production of shikonin derivatives

Evaluate how steaming and sulfur fumigation change the microstructure, physicochemical properties and in vitro digestibility of Gastrodia elata Bl. starch

The sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) generated by sulfur burning can improve the appearance quality of food and enhance the storage time. However, excessive sulfur dioxide will pollute the environment and cause deterioration of food quality, and even the high residual levels can increase the risk of cancer. As Gastrodia elata Blume is prone to corruption during processing, sulfur fumigation is often used for preservation. In this study, spectral analysis and Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) were used to investigate the effects of traditional sulfur fumigation processing on the morphology quality, edible quality and structural characteristics of G. elata. The results showed that compared with direct drying, the pH decreased by 0.399 of the sulfur fumigated after steamed treatment G. elata, and the morphology quality, pasting ability and gel edible quality of the starch were significantly improved. In addition, it was suggested that sulfur fumigation after steaming could promote the release of molecular chains from starch granules and thus enhance the cross-linking between molecules, which explained the reason for the improve of starch edible quality. This study can provide technical and theoretical support for improving the quality of starch rich foods, replacing sulfur fumigation and reducing potential environmental hazards

MeJA regulates the accumulation of baicalein and other 4’-hydroxyflavones during the hollowed root development in Scutellaria baicalensis

The dried roots of Scutellaria baicalensis are important traditional Chinese medicine used to treat liver and lung inflammation. An anomalous structure, hollowed root, was discovered in perennial cultivated Scutellaria baicalensis. The presence of the hollow may change the contents of bioactive metabolites, such as baicalein, and other 4’-hydroxyflavones in Scutellaria baicalensis roots, but the relationship between the hollowed root and bioactive metabolite contents is poorly understood. In this study, we identified the anatomical structure of the hollowed root and detected differentially accumulating flavonoid metabolites and enzymes related to 4’-hydroxyflavone biosynthesis in 3-year-old roots with a hollow. We confirmed that methyl jasmonate (MeJA) induced the accumulation of 4’-hydroxyflavones and the expression of enzymes related to 4’-hydroxyflavone biosynthesis in hydroponically cultured Scutellaria baicalensis roots. The development of the hollowed root were divided into 4 stages. The 4’-hydroxyflavone contents and expression of enzymes related to 4’-hydroxyflavone biosynthesis increased synchronously with the content of MeJA during the development of hollowed root. Pathogen and programed-cell-death related genes were induced during hollowed root development. Taken together, our results provide novel insight into the importance of MeJA in the development of hollowed root and the accumulation of 4’-hydroxyflavones in Scutellaria baicalensis roots. Our results suggest that a pathogen and senescence are the two major causes for the development of hollowed root in Scutellaria baicalensis roots

Exogenous Glucose Administration Impairs Glucose Tolerance and Pancreatic Insulin Secretion during Acute Sepsis in Non-Diabetic Mice

Objectives:The development of hyperglycemia and the use of early parenteral feeding are associated with poor outcomes in critically ill patients. We therefore examined the impact of exogenous glucose administration on the integrated metabolic function of endotoxemic mice using our recently developed frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIVGTT). We next extended our findings using a cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) sepsis model administered early parenteral glucose support.Methods:Male C57BL/6J mice, 8-12 weeks, were instrumented with chronic indwelling arterial and venous catheters. Endotoxemia was initiated with intra-arterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 1 mg/kg) in the presence of saline or glucose infusion (100 μL/hr), and an FSIVGTT was performed after five hours. In a second experiment, catheterized mice underwent CLP and the impact of early parenteral glucose administration on glucose homeostasis and mortality was assessed over 24 hrs.Measurements:And MAIN RESULTS: Administration of LPS alone did not impair metabolic function, whereas glucose administration alone induced an insulin sensitive state. In contrast, LPS and glucose combined caused marked glucose intolerance and insulin resistance and significantly impaired pancreatic insulin secretion. Similarly, CLP mice receiving parenteral glucose developed fulminant hyperglycemia within 18 hrs (all > 600 mg/dl) associated with increased systemic cytokine release and 40% mortality, whereas CLP alone (85 ± 2 mg/dL) or sham mice receiving parenteral glucose (113 ± 3 mg/dL) all survived and were not hyperglycemic. Despite profound hyperglycemia, plasma insulin in the CLP glucose-infused mice (3.7 ± 1.2 ng/ml) was not higher than sham glucose infused mice (2.1 ± 0.3 ng/ml).Conclusions:The combination of parenteral glucose support and the systemic inflammatory response in the acute phase of sepsis induces profound insulin resistance and impairs compensatory pancreatic insulin secretion, leading to the development of fulminant hyperglycemia. © 2013 Watanabe et al