A Faboideae-Specific Floral Scent Betrays Seeds to an Important Granivore Pest

Seed predation by insect herbivores reduces crop production worldwide. Foraging on seeds at pre-dispersal generally means that females need to find the suitable host plant within a relatively short timeframe in order to synchronize larval development with seed production. The mechanistic understanding of host finding by seed pests can be harnessed for more sustainable pest management strategies. We here studied the chemical communication between the bean bug Riptortus pedestris, a major pest of legumes, and several crop species and cultivars in the Fabaceae. Via a comparative chemical analysis, we found that 1-octen-3-ol is the principal constituent of the floral scents of most species tested in the subfamily Faboideae, including soybean and faba bean. With field trapping and laboratory bioassays, including electroantennography, we further revealed that this compound can be perceived, and stimulate attraction responses, by R. pedestris nymphs and adults. The addition of 1-octen-3-ol to pheromone traps might therefore improve trapping efficacy for controlling populations of this important granivore pest on legumes.

Evaluation of nutrient profile, biochemical composition and anti-gastric ulcer potentialities of khambir, a leavened flat bread

Khambir is a leavened staple food among the native highlanders of Western Himalaya. It is prepared by sourdough fermentation of wheat flour with yeast (YAK) or buttermilk (BAK). Both types of bread were rich in carbohydrate, protein, dietary fiber, containing less fat and gluten, and enriched with lactic acid, vitamins, and minerals. The in vitro digestibility test showed a slow glucose-controlled release potential of khambir that reflected improved content of rapidly digestible starch, slowly digestible starch, resistant starch, and predicted glycemic index. The changes of crystallinity to amorphous structures of starch, content of protein and fatty acid, and accumulation of 17 major metabolites were evaluated through FTIR and GC-MS. The extracts of khambir alleviated cold-induced gastric ulcers in the animal model as it exhibited histoprotective and anti-inflammatory activities. This study demonstrated that the traditional leavened bread khambir is nutritious and can alleviate gastric lesions related to acute mountain sickness.

Nephroprotective Effect of Pleurotus ostreatus and Agaricus bisporus Extracts and Carvedilol on Ethylene Glycol-Induced Urolithiasis: Roles of NF-κB, p53, Bcl-2, Bax and Bak

This study was designed to assess the nephroprotective effects of Pleurotus ostreatus and Agaricus bisporus aqueous extracts and carvedilol on hyperoxaluria-induced urolithiasis and to scrutinize the possible roles of NF-κB, p53, Bcl-2, Bax and Bak. Phytochemical screening and GC-MS analysis of mushrooms’ aqueous extracts were also performed and revealed the presence of multiple antioxidant and anti-inflammatory components. Hyperoxaluria was induced in Wistar rats through the addition of 0.75% (v/v) ethylene glycol in drinking water for nine weeks. The ethylene glycol-administered rats were orally treated with Pleurotus ostreatus and Agaricus bisporus aqueous extracts (100 mg/kg) and carvedilol (30 mg/kg) daily during the last seven weeks. The study showed that Pleurotus ostreatus, Agaricus bisporus and carvedilol all successfully inhibited ethylene glycol-induced histological perturbations and the elevation of serum creatinine, serum urea, serum and urinary uric acid, serum, urinary and kidney oxalate, urine specific gravity, kidney calcium, kidney NF-κB, NF-κB p65, NF-κB p50, p53, Bax and Bak expressions as well as serum TNF-α and IL-1β levels. Moreover, the treatment decreased the reduction in urinary creatinine, urinary urea, ratios of urinary creatinine to serum creatinine and urinary urea to serum urea, Fex Urea and Bcl-2 expression in kidney. In conclusion, although Pleurotus ostreatus and Agaricus bisporus extracts and carvedilol all significantly inhibited the progression of nephrolithiasis and showed nephroprotective effects against ethylene glycol-induced kidney dysfunction, Pleurotus ostreatus and Agaricus bisporus seemed to be more effective than carvedilol. Moreover, the nephroprotective effects may be mediated via affecting NF-κB activation, extrinsic apoptosis and intrinsic apoptosis pathways.

Integrated Phytochemical Analysis Based on UPLC-MS and Network Pharmacology Approaches to Explore the Quality Control Markers for the Quality Assessment of Trifolium pratense L

Red clover consists of the overground parts and inflorescence of Trifolium pratense L., a leguminous plant belonging to the genus Trifolium. It is widely distributed worldwide and has long been used in traditional medicine. In this study, a combination approach using UPLC-MS and network pharmacology was applied to explore the quality control markers for the quality assessments of red clover. Firstly, UPLC-MS was used to identify the compounds in different parts of red clover. Twenty-eight compounds were totally identified. According to the traditional clinical efficacy of red clover, a compound-target-function network was constructed by network pharmacology to discover the main active compounds based on the identified compounds. Nine compounds of chlorogenic acid, daidzin, calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside, genistin, ononin, daidzein, genistein, formononetin, and biochanin A were filtrated and further confirmed in rat plasma in view of the blood-absorbed components taking effects. Finally, a novel method for simultaneously detecting the nine quality control markers was developed by UPLC-QQQ-MS in an effort to assess the quality of red clover. For all samples, the average contents of the nine compounds measured from high to low consist of formononetin, ononin, biochanin A, genistin, daidzin, calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside, genistein, daidzein, and chlorogenic acid. The samples from Gansu province showed the best quality in the three producing areas This study provides new strategies to explore the quality control markers and develops a novel method for the quality assessment of red clover.