Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been identified as an important gaseous signal in plants. Here, we investigated the mechanism of H2S in alleviating postharvest senescence and rotting of Kyoho grape. Exogenous application of H2S released from 1.0 mM NaHS remarkably decreased the rotting and threshing rate of grape berries. H2S application also prevented the weight loss in grape clusters and inhibited the decreases in firmness, soluble solids, and titratable acidity in grape pulp during postharvest storage. The data of chlorophyll and carotenoid content suggested the role of H2S in preventing chlorophyll breakdown and carotenoid accumulation in both grape rachis and pulp. In comparison to water control, exogenous H2S application maintained significantly higher levels of ascorbic acid and flavonoid and total phenolics and reducing sugar and soluble protein in grape pulp. Meanwhile, H2S significantly reduced the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and superoxide anion (O2 ∙−) in grape pulp. Further investigations showed that H2S enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT) and decreased those of lipoxygenase (LOX) in both grape peels and pulp. In all, we provided strong evidence that H2S effectively alleviated postharvest senescence and rotting of Kyoho grape by modulating antioxidant enzymes and attenuating lipid peroxidation.

Asparanin A (AA), a steroidal saponin from Asparagus off icinalis L., has anticancer activity: however, its detailed molecular mechanisms in endometrial cancer (EC) have not been studied so far. We evaluated the anticancer activity and underlying mechanism of AA on EC cell line Ishikawa in vitro and in vivo. AA inhibited the Ishikawa cell proliferation and caused cell morphology alteration and cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase. Moreover, it could induce apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway, including the deregulation of Bak/Bcl-xl ratio which led to the generation of ROS, up-regulation of cytochrome c followed by decrease of Δψ m , and activation of caspases, besides inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. In vivo data showed that administration of AA significantly inhibited the tumor tissue cell proliferation, reduced the tumor growth, and induced the apoptosis occurrence. AA can be a possible functional food ingredient to cure endometrial cancer followed by clinical trials.

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The bioactive compounds and bioactivities of ginger, and their detailed mechanisms including some therapeutic effects of ginger and its constituents for effective antioxidant properties were comprehensive reviewed.

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Ginsenoside CK (GCK), as a metabolite of ginsenoside Rb1, has been studied for its anti-cancer activity. However, its in-depth anti-cancer mechanism on cervical cancer (CC) HeLa cells has not been...