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Chemistry and bioactivity of plants from the genus Amomum

Cai R, Yue X, Wang Y, Yang Y, Sun D, Li H, et al.

J Ethnopharmacol, 2021 Dec 05;281:114563.
PMID: 34438033 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114563

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The genus Amomum belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, is mainly distributed in tropical regions of Asia and Oceania. Their fruits and seeds are valuable traditional medicine and used extensively, particularly in South China, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The genus Amomum has long been used for treating gastric diseases, digestive disorder, cancer, hepatopathy, malaria, etc. AIMS OF THE REVIEW: The main purpose of this review is to provide the available information on the traditional medicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology aspects of the genus Amomum in order to explore the trends and perspectives for further studies on its non-volatile constituents.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present review collected the literatures published prior to 2020 on the traditional medicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of the genus Amomum. The available literatures were extracted from scientific databases, such as Sci-finder, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, and CNKI, books, and others.
RESULTS: Herein, we summarize all 166 naturally occurring non-volatile compounds from 16 plants of the genus Amomum reported in 171 references, including flavonoids, terpenoids, diarylheptanoids, coumarins, etc. Triterpenes and flavonoids are the main constituents among these compounds and maybe play an important role in the activities directly or indirectly. As traditional medicine, the plants from the genus Amomum have been usually used in some traditional herbal prescriptions, and pharmacological researches in vitro and in vivo revealed that the extracts possessed significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic activities, etc. CONCLUSION: The review systematically summarizes current studies on traditional medicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity on the plants from the genus Amomum. To date, the majority of publications still focused on the research of volatile constituents. However, the promising preliminary data of non-volatile constituents indicated the research potential of this genus in phytochemical and pharmacological aspects. Furthermore, the further in-depth investigations on the safety, efficacy, as well as the stereo-chemistry and structure-activity relationships of pure compounds from this genus are essential in the future.
Trichinella spiralis: RNAi-mediated silencing of serine protease results in reduction of intrusion, development and fecundity

Yang DQ, Zeng Y, Sun XY, Yue X, Hu CX, Jiang P, et al.

Trop Biomed, 2020 Dec 01;37(4):932-946.
PMID: 33612747 DOI: 10.47665/tb.37.4.932

In previous studies, a Trichinella spiralis serine protease (TsSP) was identified in excretion/secretion (ES) products from intestinal infective L1 larvae (IIL1) using immunoproteomics. The complete cDNA sequence of TsSP gene was 1372 bp, which encoded 429 amino acids with 47.55 kDa. The TsSP was transcribed and expressed at all T. spiralis life cycle phases, as well as mainly located at the cuticle and stichosome of the parasitic nematode. Recombinant TsSP bind to intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) and promoted larva invasion, however, its exact function in invasion, development and reproduction are still unknown. The aim of this study was to confirm the biological function of TsSP during T. spiralis invasion and growth using RNA interference (RNAi) technology. The results showed that on 1 day after electroporation using 2.5 µM siRNA156, TsSP mRNA and protein expression of muscle larvae (ML) was suppressed by 48.35 and 59.98%, respectively. Meanwhile, silencing of TsSP gene by RNAi resulted in a 61.38% decrease of serine protease activity of ML ES proteins, and a significant reduction of the in vitro and in vivo invasive capacity of IIL1 to intrude into the IEC monolayer and intestinal mucosa. When mice were infected with siRNA 156-transfected larvae, adult worm and muscle larva burdens were decreased by 58.85 and 60.48%, respectively. Moreover, intestinal worm growth and female fecundity were evidently inhibited after TsSP gene was knockdown, it was demonstrated that intestinal adults became smaller and the in vitro newborn larval yield of females obviously declined compared with the control siRNA group. The results indicated that knockdown of TsSP gene by RNAi significantly reduced the TsSP expression and enzymatic activity, impaired larvae intrusion and growth, and lowered the female reproductive capacity, further verified that TsSP might participate in diverse processes of T. spiralis life cycle, it will be a new prospective candidate molecular target of anti-Trichinella vaccines.
Phytosphere purification of urban domestic wastewater

Qu Y, Yang Y, Sonne C, Chen X, Yue X, Gu H, et al.

Environ Pollut, 2023 Nov 01;336:122417.
PMID: 37598935 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122417

Industrialization and overpopulation have polluted aquatic environments with significant impacts on human health and wildlife. The main pollutants in urban sewage are nitrogen, phosphorus, heavy metals and organic pollutants, which need to be treated with sewage, and the use of aquatic plants to purify wastewater has high efficiency and low cost. However, the effectiveness and efficiency of phytoremediation are also affected by temperature, pH, microorganisms and other factors. The use of biochar can reduce the cost of wastewater purification, and the combination of biochar and nanotechnology can improve the efficiency of wastewater purification. Some aquatic plants can enrich pollutants in wastewater, so it can be considered to plant these aquatic plants in constructed wetlands to achieve the effect of purifying wastewater. Biochar treatment technology can purify wastewater with high efficiency and low cost, and can be further applied to constructed wetlands. In this paper, the latest research progress of various pollutants in wastewater purification by aquatic plants is reviewed, and the efficient treatment technology of wastewater by biochar is discussed. It provides theoretical basis for phytoremediation of urban sewage pollution in the future.
Mitigation of indoor air pollution: A review of recent advances in adsorption materials and catalytic oxidation

Yue X, Ma NL, Sonne C, Guan R, Lam SS, Van Le Q, et al.

J Hazard Mater, 2021 03 05;405:124138.
PMID: 33092884 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124138

Indoor air pollution with toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a threat to human health, causing cancer, leukemia, fetal malformation, and abortion. Therefore, the development of technologies to mitigate indoor air pollution is important to avoid adverse effects. Adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation are the current approaches for the removal of VOCs and PM2.5 with high efficiency. In this review we focus on the recent development of indoor air pollution mitigation materials based on adsorption and photocatalytic decomposition. First, we review on the primary indoor air pollutants including formaldehyde, benzene compounds, PM2.5, flame retardants, and plasticizer: Next, the recent advances in the use of adsorption materials including traditional biochar and MOF (metal-organic frameworks) as the new emerging porous materials for VOCs absorption is reviewed. We review the mechanism for mitigation of VOCs using biochar (noncarbonized organic matter partition and adsorption) and MOF together with parameters that affect indoor air pollution removal efficiency based on current mitigation approaches including the mitigation of VOCs using photocatalytic oxidation. Finally, we bring forward perspectives and directions for the development of indoor air mitigation technologies.
Jellyfish-Inspired Soft Robot Driven by Pneumatic Bistable Actuators

Wang S, Qiao Z, Li Z, Zhang Y, Cheng A, Zhu B, et al.

Soft Robot, 2024 Jul 30.
PMID: 39078729 DOI: 10.1089/soro.2023.0212

Soft actuators offer numerous potential applications; however, challenges persist in achieving a high driving force and fast response speed. In this work, we present the design, fabrication, and analysis of a soft pneumatic bistable actuator (PBA) mimicking jellyfish subumbrellar muscle motion for waterjet propulsion. Drawing inspiration from the jellyfish jet propulsion and the characteristics of bistable structure, we develop an elastic band stretch prebending PBA with a simple structure, low inflation cost, exceptional driving performance, and stable driving force output. Through a bionic analysis of jellyfish body structure and motion, we integrate the PBA into a jellyfish-like prototype, enabling it to achieve jet propulsion. To enhance the swimming performance, we introduce a skin-like structure for connecting the soft actuator to the jellyfish-like soft robot prototype. This skin-like structure optimizes the fluid dynamics during jet propulsion, resulting in improved efficiency and maneuverability. Our study further analyzes the swimming performance of the jellyfish-like prototype, demonstrating a swimming speed of 3.8 cm/s (0.32 body length/s, BL/s) for the tethered prototype and 4.7 cm/s (0.38 BL/s) for the untethered prototype. Moreover, we showcase the jellyfish-like prototype's notable load-bearing capacity and fast-forward swimming performance compared to other driving methods for underwater biomimetic robots. This work provides valuable insights for the development of highly agile and fast responsive soft robots that imitate the subumbrellar muscle of jellyfish for efficient water-jet propulsion, utilizing skin-like structures to enhance swimming performance.
Fulltext Ancient forest plants possess cytotoxic properties causing liver cancer HepG2 cell apoptosis

Yue X, Ling Ma N, Zhong J, Yang H, Chen H, Yang Y, et al.

Environ Res, 2024 Jan 15;241:117474.
PMID: 37879390 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117474

Here, we collected 154 plant species in China ancient forests looking for novel efficient bioactive compounds for cancer treatments. We found 600 bioactive phyto-chemicals that induce apoptosis of liver cancer cell in vitro. First, we screen the plant extract's in vitro cytotoxicity inhibition of cancer cell growth using in vitro HepG2 cell lines and MTT cytotoxicity. The results from these initial MTT in vitro cytotoxicity tests show that the most efficient plants towards hepatoma cytoxicity is Cephalotaxus sinensis, mint bush (Elsholtzia stauntonii) and winged spindle tree (Euonymus alatus). We then used in cell-counting kit-8 (CCK-8) to further understand in vivo tumor growth using nude mice and GC-MS and LC-QTOF-MS to analyze the composition of compounds in the extracts. Extracted chemically active molecules analyzed by network pharmacology showed inhibition on the growth of liver cancer cells by acting on multiple gene targets, which is different from the currently used traditional drugs acting on only one target of liver cancer cells. Extracts from Cephalotaxus sinensis, mint bush (Elsholtzia stauntonii) and winged spindle tree (Euonymus alatus) induce apoptosis in hepatoma cancer cell line HepG2 with a killing rate of more than 83% and a tumor size decrease by 62-67% and a killing rate of only 6% of normal hepatocyte LO2. This study highlight efficient candidate species for cancer treatment providing a basis for future development of novel plant-based drugs to help meeting several of the UN SDGs and planetary health.
Corrigendum to "High-throughput screening of ancient forest plant extracts shows cytotoxicity towards triple-negative breast cancer" [Environ. Int. 181 (2023) 108279]

Li Y, Ma NL, Chen H, Zhong J, Zhang D, Peng W, et al.

Environ Int, 2024 Apr 25.
PMID: 38670876 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108695
Fulltext High-throughput screening of ancient forest plant extracts shows cytotoxicity towards triple-negative breast cancer

Li Y, Ling Ma N, Chen H, Zhong J, Zhang D, Peng W, et al.

Environ Int, 2023 Nov;181:108279.
PMID: 37924601 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108279

According to the World Health Organization, women's breast cancer is among the most common cancers with 7.8 million diagnosed cases during 2016-2020 and encompasses 15 % of all female cancer-related mortalities. These mortality events from triple-negative breast cancer are a significant health issue worldwide calling for a continuous search of bioactive compounds for better cancer treatments. Historically, plants are important sources for identifying such new bioactive chemicals for treatments. Here we use high-throughput screening and mass spectrometry analyses of extracts from 100 plant species collected in Chinese ancient forests to detect novel bioactive breast cancer phytochemicals. First, to study the effects on viability of the plant extracts, we used a MTT and CCK-8 cytotoxicity assay employing triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) MDA-MB-231 and normal epithelial MCF-10A cell lines and cell cycle arrest to estimate apoptosis using flow cytometry for the most potent three speices. Based on these analyses, the final most potent extracts were from the Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) wood/root bark and Nigaki (Picrasma quassioides) wood/root bark. Then, 5 × 106 MDA-MB-231 cells were injected subcutaneously into the right hind leg of nude mice and a tumour was allowed to grow before treatment for seven days. Subsequently, the four exposed groups received gavage extracts from Amur honeysuckle and Nigaki (Amur honeysuckle wood distilled water, Amur honeysuckle root bark ethanol, Nigaki wood ethanol or Nigaki root bark distilled water/ethanol (1:1) extracts) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), while the control group received only PBS. The tumour weight of treated nude mice was reduced significantly by 60.5 % within 2 weeks, while on average killing 70 % of the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells after 48 h treatment (MTT test). In addition, screening of target genes using the Swiss Target Prediction, STITCH, STRING and NCBI-gene database showed that the four plant extracts possess desirable activity towards several known breast cancer genes. This reflects that the extracts may kill MBD-MB-231 breast cancer cells. This is the first screening of plant extracts with high efficiency in 2 decades, showing promising results for future development of novel cancer treatments.
A review of historical and recent locust outbreaks: Links to global warming, food security and mitigation strategies

Peng W, Ma NL, Zhang D, Zhou Q, Yue X, Khoo SC, et al.

Environ Res, 2020 12;191:110046.
PMID: 32841638 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110046

Locusts differ from ordinary grasshoppers in their ability to swarm over long distances and are among the oldest migratory pests. The ecology and biology of locusts make them among the most devastating pests worldwide and hence the calls for actions to prevent the next outbreaks. The most destructive of all locust species is the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria). Here, we review the current locust epidemic 2020 outbreak and its causes and prevention including the green technologies that may provide a reference for future directions of locust control and food security. Massive locust outbreaks threaten the terrestrial environments and crop production in around 100 countries of which Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya are the most affected. Six large locust outbreaks are reported for the period from 1912 to 1989 all being closely related to long-term droughts and warm winters coupled with occurrence of high precipitation in spring and summer. The outbreaks in East Africa, India and Pakistan are the most pronounced with locusts migrating more than 150 km/day during which the locusts consume food equivalent to their own body weight on a daily basis. The plague heavily affects the agricultural sectors, which is the foundation of national economies and social stability. Global warming is likely the main cause of locust plague outbreak in recent decades driving egg spawning of up to 2-400,000 eggs per square meter. Biological control techniques such as microorganisms, insects and birds help to reduce the outbreaks while reducing ecosystem and agricultural impacts. In addition, green technologies such as light and sound stimulation seem to work, however, these are challenging and need further technological development incorporating remote sensing and modelling before they are applicable on large-scales. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the 2020 locust outbreak is the worst in 70 years probably triggered by climate change, hurricanes and heavy rain and has affected a total of 70,000 ha in Somalia and Ethiopia. There is a need for shifting towards soybean, rape, and watermelon which seems to help to prevent locust outbreaks and obtain food security. Furthermore, locusts have a very high protein content and is an excellent protein source for meat production and as an alternative human protein source, which should be used to mitigate food security. In addition, forestation of arable land improves local climate conditions towards less precipitation and lower temperatures while simultaneously attracting a larger number of birds thereby increasing the locust predation rates.
Fulltext Announcing the Genome Atlas of Bamboo and Rattan (GABR) project: promoting research in evolution and in economically and ecologically beneficial plants

Zhao H, Zhao S, International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, Fei B, Liu H, Yang H, et al.

Gigascience, 2017 07 01;6(7):1-7.
PMID: 28637269 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/gix046

Bamboo and rattan are widely grown for manufacturing, horticulture, and agroforestry. Bamboo and rattan production might help reduce poverty, boost economic growth, mitigate climate change, and protect the natural environment. Despite progress in research, sufficient molecular and genomic resources to study these species are lacking. We launched the Genome Atlas of Bamboo and Rattan (GABR) project, a comprehensive, coordinated international effort to accelerate understanding of bamboo and rattan genetics through genome analysis. GABR includes 2 core subprojects: Bamboo-T1K (Transcriptomes of 1000 Bamboos) and Rattan-G5 (Genomes of 5 Rattans), and several other subprojects. Here we describe the organization, directions, and status of GABR.

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