Research Progress on Nutrient Composition, Function and Processing of Morels

Morels (Morchella) are edible and medicinal mushrooms. It is rich in nutrient compositions such as proteins, polysaccharides, dietary fibers, and organic acids. It has functions including immune regulation, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-fatigue, and blood sugar reduction. It can be processed into health products, snacks, drinks, and seasonings. This article provides a comprehensive review of the research progress on nutrient compositions, functions, and product processing of morels in the past decade, aiming to guide the development of the morel industry in a scientific and healthy direction

Effects of elevated ozone concentration and nitrogen addition on ammonia stomatal compensation point in a poplar clone

The stomatal compensation point of ammonia (χs) is a key factor controlling plant-atmosphere NH3 exchange, which is dependent on the nitrogen (N) supply and varies among plant species. However, knowledge gaps remain concerning the effects of elevated atmospheric N deposition and ozone (O3) on χs for forest species, resulting in large uncertainties in the parameterizations of NH3 incorporated into atmospheric chemistry and transport models (CTMs). Here, we present leaf-scale measurements of χs for hybrid poplar clone ‘546’ (Populusdeltoides cv. 55/56 x P. deltoides cv. Imperial) growing in two N treatments (N0, no N added; N50, 50 kg N ha−1 yr−1 urea fertilizer added) and two O3 treatments (CF, charcoal-filtered air; E-O3, non-filtered air plus 40 ppb) for 105 days. Our results showed that χs was significantly reduced by E-O3 (41%) and elevated N (19%). The interaction of N and O3 was significant, and N can mitigate the negative effects of O3 on χs. Elevated O3 significantly reduced the light-saturated photosynthetic rate (Asat) and chlorophyll (Chl) content and significantly increased intercellular CO2 concentrations (Ci), but had no significant effect on stomatal conductance (gs). By contrast, elevated N did not significantly affect all measured photosynthetic parameters. Overall, χs was significantly and positively correlated with Asat, gs and Chl, whereas a significant and negative relationship was observed between χs and Ci. Our results suggest that O3-induced changes in Asat, Ci and Chl may affect χs. Our findings provide a scientific basis for optimizing parameterizations of χs in CTMs in response to environmental change factors (i.e., elevated N deposition and/or O3) in the future

Efficient Extraction and Isolation of Mangiferin from Mango Leaves by Ethyl Acetate Impurity Removal Method

[Objectives] To optimize the ethyl acetate impurity removal method for extracting and isolating mangiferin from mango leaves, and provide raw materials and technical support for development and use of mangiferin related products. [Methods] Five steps (material crushing → ethyl acetate impurity removing → concentrated extract washing → extracting with methanol → crystallization and precipitation) were used. The single factor experiment and L9(34) orthogonal experiment was carried out to optimize the process parameters including extraction time, ultrasonic power, extraction times, and extraction temperature. [Results] The optimum process of ethyl acetate impurity removal method for extracting and isolating mangiferin from mango leaves was as follows: the mango leaves were crushed and sieved; 3 mL/g of ethyl acetate was added, sealed and soaked for 4 h, ultrasonically shaken for 20 min (50℃, 350 W), filtered at room temperature, filtered with 100 mesh sieve, and extracted three times; added 100% methanol to the residue at 3 mL/g, extract by ultrasonic vibration for 20 min (350 W, 55℃) for four times, filtered with 100 mesh sieve when it was still hot; mixed the extract of each time, condensed by vacuum decompression to get the extract; added 100% methanol at 4 mL/g, mixed and washed for 5 min at room temperature, placed for 10 min, filtered with 100 mesh sieve, washed 3 times repeatedly, and dried the filter residue at 60℃ to obtain the crude mangiferin; added 100% methanol at 4 mL/g, mixed and washed at 50℃ for 5 min, placed at 6℃ for 8 h, dried the filter residue at 60℃, and repeatedly crystallized two times. According to the above process, crude and pure mangiferin products could be obtained, the purity of mangiferin of the crude product was higher than 64.00%, the total recovery rate was 83.90%, and the purity of mangiferin of the pure product was higher than 98.00%, and the total recovery rate was about 66.40%. [Conclusions] The optimized ethyl acetate impurity removal method is easy in operation, low in cost, and high in efficiency for extracting and isolating mangiferin, and can be applied for actual production of mangiferin

Antitumor activity of isosteroidal alkaloids from the plants in the genus Veratrum and Fritillaria

Isosteroidal alkaloids are a category of promising bioactive compounds which mostly exist in plants of genus Veratrum and Fritillaria. The pharmacological activities of isosteroidal alkaloids include antihypertensive, antitussive, anti-inflammatory, antithrombosis, among others. Recently, some studies show that this kind of alkaloids exhibited significant antitumor activity. To the best of our knowledge, there is no review focusing on their antitumor activity and mechanism of their antitumor activity. To fill the gap, in this review, we summarized antitumor effects of the isosteroidal alkaloids from genus Veratrum and Fritillaria on different tumors and the mechanisms of their antitumor activity. In conclusion, this kind of alkaloids has extensive antitumor activity, and there are several main mechanisms of their antitumor activity, including the Hedgehog signaling pathway, caspase-3 dependent apoptosis, cell cycle, and autophagy

Precipitation chemistry and atmospheric nitrogen deposition at a rural site in Beijing, China

Precipitation chemistry and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition are of great concern worldwide due to their close relationships with air quality and impacts on ecosystems. However, evaluation of the chemical composition of precipitation and N deposition flux in rural areas of Beijing has received little attention to date. This paper presents the chemical constituents, possible sources and wet deposition fluxes of water-soluble ions (NH4+, NO3−, SO42−, Cl−, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) in precipitation samples collected during 2017–2018 at a rural site located at northwest of Beijing city; meanwhile, dry deposition of reactive N species (gaseous ammonia, nitrogen dioxide, nitric acid, and particulate (p) NH4+ and NO3−) were also quantified. During this 2-year period, the volume-weighted mean (VWM) pH of precipitation was 6.73, and all samples had pH values above 6.0. The VWM electric conductivity of precipitation and the mean sum of all measured ions was 43.8 μS cm−1 and 591.9 μeq L−1, respectively, indicating a significant impact of atmospheric pollution. Ca2+ and NH4+ were the dominant neutralizing species for precipitation acidity. Positive matrix factorization analysis further confirmed five sources for water-soluble ions, including sea salt aging, secondary formation, agriculture, crust, and biomass burning. The annual mean wet N deposition was 4.6, 3.4 and 8.0 kg N ha−1 yr−1 for NH4+, NO3− and total inorganic N, respectively. The total dry N deposition was dominated by gaseous ammonia (11.5 kg N ha−1 yr−1). The total N deposition (wet plus dry) was 27.7 kg N ha−1 yr−1, where dry deposition contributed to 75% and wet deposition 25% of the total. The simulations from the GEOS-Chem model indicate that agricultural (fertilizer use and livestock) and nonagricultural sources (industry, power plant, and transportation) are both important contributors to total N deposition. These results could be useful in evaluating/developing emission control policies to protect the eco-environment in Beijing

Loss-of-function mutations of an inhibitory upstream ORF in the human hairless transcript cause Marie Unna hereditary hypotrichosis

Marie Unna hereditary hypotrichosis (MUHH) is an autosomal dominant form of genetic hair loss. In a large Chinese family carrying MUHH, we identified a pathogenic initiation codon mutation in U2HR, an inhibitory upstream ORF in the 5' UTR of the gene encoding the human hairless homolog (HR). U2HR is predicted to encode a 34-amino acid peptide that is highly conserved among mammals. In 18 more families from different ancestral groups, we identified a range of defects in U2HR, including loss of initiation, delayed termination codon and nonsense and missense mutations. Functional analysis showed that these classes of mutations all resulted in increased translation of the main HR physiological ORF. Our results establish the link between MUHH and U2HR, show that fine-tuning of HR protein levels is important in control of hair growth, and identify a potential mechanism for preventing hair loss or promoting hair removal