Xiong Yang,Qian Zhang,Ning Yang,Muxi Chang,Yaoyao Ge,Huirong Zhou,Guolei Li
Quercus variabilis and Quercus aliena are two native tree species in China, which have similar habitats, and their regeneration mainly depends on acorn dispersal. This study analyzed the contents of water, soluble sugar, starch, soluble protein , and total phenolics in acorns and cupules during the whole development process to explore the difference between species. Thereinto, starch and total phenol occupied the dominant roles as their high contents. The acorn starch contents increased sharply during development in both species, but the contents in Q . variabilis were almost twice those of Q . aliena when mature. Similarly, high expression levels of starch synthase , soluble starch synthase 2 ( SSS2 ) were also found in the acorns of Q . variabilis . The total phenol contents in Q . variabilis acorns were high at the early stages, and decreased sharply to similar contents in Q . aliena when mature. Additionally, the cupules in Q . variabilis had high contents of total phenols during the whole development period. Similar trends were also found in the expression patterns of UGT84A13 and SDH . The high total phenols in acorns and cupules of Q . variabilis probably protect the acorns from Mechoris ursulus , as only Q . aliena suffered a severe pest infestation in the early development stages. This study not only clarifies the interspecific difference between storage and defense substances during the development process in acorns and cupules, but also deepens understanding the specialized mechanisms of plant–pest/animal interactions in Quercus .
Jie Zang,Shangzhi Ma,Cuizhe Wang,Gang Guo,Liangxue Zhou,Xing Tian,Mengying Lv,Jun Zhang,Bo Han
Turkish galls have been reported to exhibit remedial effects in ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the active constituents of Turkish galls for the treatment of UC remain unclear. The objective of this study was to screen for anti-inflammatory active constituents and clarify their associated molecular mechanisms. Therefore, systems pharmacology was developed to predict the relationship between constituents and the corresponding targets as well as pathways. In addition, mass spectrometry-guided preparative chromatography technique was used for preparing constituents to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities and the therapeutic efficacy against UC. In silico, active constituents exhibited a remedial effect on UC possibly by regulating multiple pathways and attacking multiple targets, of which those involved mainly in the NF-κB pathway were selected for verification. In vitro, 5 categories of constituents were screened as active constituents by comparing the cytotoxicity and detecting the level of the pro-inflammatory factors of 9 category constituents. In vivo, dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC was significantly ameliorated in active constituents-fed mice. The results indicated that the active fraction comprising methyl gallate, digallic acid, di-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose, and tri-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose primarily contributed to the treatment of UC. Moreover, active fraction could also inhibit the phosphorylation level of IKKβ, thus inhibiting the downstream NF-κB signaling pathway. The approach developed in this study not only clarifies the anti-inflammation effect of Turkish galls but also provides a beneficial reference for the discovery of the base material and functional mechanism of this herbal medicine.
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）