The
solubilities of oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA) in
ethanol + sodium hydroxide + water mixed solvents were measured at
different temperatures (283.2, 298.2, 293.2, 298.2, 303.2, 308.2,
313.2, 318.2, and 323.2 K). The solubility of OA in the mixed solvents
increased with temperature. However, the solubility of UA in the mixed
solvents first increased with temperature, and then decreased with
temperature. The solubilities of both OA and UA increased with the
initial mole fraction of ethanol in the mixed solvents. The addition
of NaOH could improve the solubilities of OA and UA in the aqueous
ethanol solution. The solubility of OA was correlated with temperature
by the van’t Hoff model, the modified Apelblat model and the λh model, and the results indicated that the λh model had better correlation. The solubility of
UA was correlated with temperature only by an empirical cubic equation.
Objective: Sulfur fumigation is used to preserve Rhizoma Dioscoreae (RD), a traditional medicinal herb, but excess consumption of SO 2 residues may be toxic. We compared effects of sulfur-free versus sulfurfumigated RD concentrated aqueous extracts on rat blood biochemistry and organ morphology. Methods: Rats were randomly divided to receive sulfur-fumigated RD or sulfur-free RD aqueous extract (20 g/kg, intragastric, 90 d) or distilled water (control). Body weight and food intake were recorded weekly. Blood samples were collected 12 h after final administration and histopathological examinations performed. Results: Body weight did not differ among groups (P>0.05). Blood Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Total Cholesterol (TC), and Glucose (GLU) were lower in the sulfur-free group versus controls (P<0.05). GLU and TC were also reduced but AST and ALT elevated in the sulfur-fumigated group. In the sulfur-fumigated group, organ coefficients for lung and thymus (P<0.05) as well as spleen and kidney (P<0.01) were higher than controls. In the sulfur-free group, only thymus organ coefficient was significantly greater than control (P<0.05). Histopathology revealed multiple focal fatty infiltrations in duodenum muscle (two rats) and punctate liver necrosis (four rats) in the sulfur-fumigated group. Conclusion: Long-term sulfur-fumigated RD consumption may cause liver damage.
Euphorbia lathyris
L. is a well-known bioenergy plant cultivated in many parts of the world. In this study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of
E. lathyris
to investigate its phylogenetic relationship in the family Euphorbiaceae. The cp genome was 163,738 bp in length, consisting of a pair of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb: 26,837 bp) separated by a large single-copy region (LSC: 91,783 bp) and a small single-copy region (SSC: 18,281 bp). The GC content of whole cp genome is 35.6%. Annotation showed the presence of 113 unique genes with 79 protein-coding genes, four tRNA genes, and 30 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that
E. lathyris
was in the basal position of subgen.
Esula
, closely related to sect.
Esula
and sect.
Helioscopiae
.
Atractylodes lancea, known as Cangzhu in Chinese ,
has been widely used in the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The
colour of secretory cavity (SC) at Atractylodis Rhizoma (AR) differs
greatly among geographic origins and cinnabar-like red SCs of AR is
considered of high quality in TCM. However, chemical basis underlying
this colour variation across natural accessions and within plant tissues
are largely unknown, impeding implications of efficacy of cinnabar-like
spots for Cangzhu in TCM. Here, we carried out laser capture
microdissection (LCM) based metabolomics on three A. lancea
natural accessions with distinct AR colour patterns. Multivariate
statistics across various SC types identified three polyacetylenes
significantly associated with the red SCs of AR. Mass spectrometry
imaging (MSI) further indicated that they are likely the causal
compounds underlying the cinnabar-like colour of SCs in A.
lancea. We thus provide a clear example of using spatial metabolomics
to reveal key metabolite markers associated with important
pharmaceutical properties by using very limited number of natural
accessions in a non-model plant. It will further guide the elucidation
of biosynthetic pathways for polyacetylenes in herbaceous plant A.
lancea.
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