Alfalfa Extract Research Articles

Toxic Effects of Manure, Alfalfa, and Ammonia on Emergence and Growth of Cucumber Seedlings

Chopped alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), alfalfa hay extract, and ammonium hydroxide produced free ammonia in media and inhibited both germination and seedling growth of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Toxic levels of ammonia were not produced by the quantities of manure added to the media. Alfalfa extract enhanced cucumber seedling growth in sand medium while inhibiting growth in sand-soil media. This difference is attributed to a reduced level of microbial activity in the sand. With higher levels of microbial activity, rapid decomposition of the extract may have resulted in a burst of ammonia evolution that proved damaging to cucumbers. The natural buffering capacity of the soil medium apparently mitigated the effects of the ammonia. Ammonium hydroxide, which did not depend on microbiological activity to release ammonia, proved lethal to cucumbers grown in sand. A diminished effect on growth was observed as the cation exchange capacity of the medium increased. Because high levels of alfalfa hay and ammonium hydroxide were required to produce toxic levels of ammonia in soil, it is unlikely that cucumbers would be harmed under normal field usage of alfalfa hay.

The role of phenolic compounds and nutrients in determining food preference in greater snow geese.

We tested Buchsbaum's hypothesis that food palatability in geese is determined by a hierarchy of feeding cues among which deterrent secondary metabolites (mostly phenols) have a primary role (Buchsbaum et al. 1984). In preference tests, greater snow goose feeding was slightly depressed when grass was sprayed with ferulic acid but not when grass was sprayed with p-coumaric and tannic acids. Extracts of Timothy grass, red clover or alfalfa sprayed on grass also failed to depress goose feeding. In a multifactor experiment, phenol and protein content and height of grass were manipulated simultaneously. When ferulic acid was sprayed, protein and phenol content interacted in determining goose feeding preferences; protein content had no effect in the absence of phenol but did have an effect when phenol was added. When tannic acid was used in a similar experiment, results were inconclusive because of a significant and complex interaction between protein content and height of grass. Our results generally failed to support Buchsbaum's hypothesis that phenol content of plants has a primary role in determining food preference in geese. Protein content of plants seemed to be a more important factor.

Light sensitivity of carotenoids used as food colours

The quantum yield for the photobleaching of the carotenoid pigments lutein undβ-carotene solubilized in aqueous solutions has been determined for monochromatic light at different wavelengths to provide an objective measure of the light sensitivity of these natural food colours. The quantum yields are proportional to the square root of the partial pressure of oxygen, indicative of a complex photo-oxidation mechanism in carotenoids. In UV light, lutein is more sensitive thanβ-carotene. Quantum yields for air-saturated solutions at 20° C are 7.8–10−3 mol einstein−1 at 313 nm and 5.1·10−4 at 366 nm for lutein compared with 4.7·10−3 and 3.9·10−4 forβ-carotene. For visible light, photo-oxidation is less severe and quantum yields at 436 nm are less than 3·10−5 for lutein and 3.7·10−5 forβ-carotene, respectively. The photobleaching of an alfalfa extract used as colorant in beverages, and in which the pigment is a complex mixture of geometrical isomers of mainly lutein palmitate, is also significant, although the quantum yield is generally lower than that for lutein. Sensitized photodegradation with initial light absorption by other pigments could be important to such extracts, as has been demonstrated in a model system with rose bengal as a light absorber. The dependence of the quantum yield on the oxygen partial pressure shows that at least two reaction paths are of importance to the sensitized photo-oxidation and a large deuterium isotope effect provides evidence for the involvement of singlet-oxygen in the sensitized photodegradation.

Lack of chemical factors in host-plant resistance of alfalfa towards alfalfa weevil: Ovicidal activity of some coumarin derivatives

A resistant line of alfalfa was studied in an attempt to identify possible chemical factors responsible for alfalfa weevil (Hypera brunneipennis) resistance. Bioassays were developed to measure ovicidal, larval development, pupation, and adult development rates. Serial alfalfa extracts of a weevil-resistant line showed no effect in the bioassays when compared to those of a weevil-susceptible line. It was concluded that resistance substances are not present but that resistant lines are simply more tolerant to weevil attack. Alfalfa constitutents and synthetic analogs were also screened in the egg hatch bioassay. Among these were a series of 3-acyl-4-hydroxycoumarins. 3-Acyl-4-hydroxycoumarins with short-chain acyl groups showed good ovicidal rates, but activity decreased with increasing length of the acyl group.

Diol esters—A family of potential plant growth regulators

Rice bran wax was found to contain 1, 3-propane diol mono- and diesters of palmitic, stearic, oleic and linolenic acids. The unsaturated esters (especially diesters) are found to be eminently active in the biological growth of rice and wheat seedlings in laboratory tests and under field conditions. They are able to induce appreciable increase in root length, fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll content and rate of photosynthesis in seedlings/plants and also yield of rice grains in the field. An extract of alfalfa revealed the presence of another family of diol esters, namely, 2-methyl 1, 4-butane diol esters of unsaturated acids which are at least as good as the 1, 3-propane diol esters in the plant growth regulating activities. Therefore, the plant growth regulating effect of alfalfa extract attributed to triacontanol could be due to the presence of diol esters as well. The natural occurrence of hitherto unreported diol esters and more importantly their plant growth regulating activities are now described.

Prevention of aortic lesions and hyperlipidaemia by alfalfa seed extract in cholesterol fed rabbit

Extract of alfalfa seed (ethanolic 50 % v/v) prevents the development of plaque formation and hyperlipidaemia in cholesterol fed rabbits. It inhibits the elevation of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol/phospholipid ratio, while HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio increases, which is associated with a reduced incidence of atherosclerosis. Further reduction in total cholesterol and phospholipid contents of liver and heart muscle are suggestive of a beneficial role of the seed extract. The possible mechanisms of action are discussed.

The effects of processing methods and cholesterol addition on the nutritive value of leaf protein concentrates in chicks.

The effects of processing methods and cholesterol addition on the nutritive value of LPCs prepared from alfalfa, Italian ryegrass and ladino clover were studied in chicks. Each LPC fortified with methionine was used as a sole protein source, providing 10% protein in the diet.The washing by ethanol of thermally-treated coagulum obtained from alfalfa was effective in reducing the medicagenic acid content and improving the nutritive value, whereas this treatment had little effect on the nutritive value of Italian ryegrass and ladino clover LPCs.The adjustment of the alfalfa extract to pH 8 by NaOH had little effect on the medicagenic acid content but significantly improved the nutritive value although it was still inferior to the nutritive value of the ethanol-treated LPC.The heated and NaOH-treated alfalfa LPCs high in the medicagenic acid content had a hypocholesterolemic effect. The addition of 1.0% cholesterol was as effective as the ethanol treatment in improving the nutritive value of the heated and NaOH-treated alfalfa LPCs.The nutritive value of alfalfa and Italian ryegrass LPCs coagulated by anaerobic fermen-tation of the extract for 7 days was much lower than that of the thermally-treated LPCs. In the case of the fermented alfalfa LPC, the accumulation of medicagenic acid was observed and the cholesterol addition was not so effective.This work was supported by a grant-in-aid for Co-operative Research No. 59360036 from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture in Japan.

Canavanine analysis of alfalfa extracts by high performance liquid chromatography using pre-column derivatization.

The purpose of this project was to isolate and quantitate canavanine in three different alfalfa samples because it has been hypothesized that alfalfa and therefore canavanine ingestion may exacerbate systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in humans. Ten alfalfa tablets were ground into a fine powder, and 100 mg was extracted for canavanine. The extracted canavanine was derivatized prior to quantitation by high performance liquid chromatography. The canavanine content of alfalfa tablets averaged 25.3 and 33.8 micrograms/g depending on lot number and extraction method. Because ten alfalfa tablets are recommended daily, this would provide approximately 0.18 mg of canavanine. Whether daily ingestion of canavanine exacerbated SLE in two patients consuming 15 and 8 alfalfa tablets (0.27 and 0.15 mg, respectively) is uncertain and warrants further investigation.

The lectin reactivity and lectin-like activity of allergenic pollen extracts

The binding of soluble components of pollen grains to plant-stigma receptors can be inhibited by concanavalin A. This lectin-like activity of pollen components is important in the genetic control of plant reproduction. Aqueous extracts of allergenic pollens also react with concanavalin A. Agarose gel-diffusion precipitates were used to survey and characterize the ability of allergenic pollen extracts to react with concanavalin A and other lectins. Concanavalin A alone precipitated with extracts of plantain, American beech, white ash, and corn pollens. Surprisingly, extracts of the pollen from certain plants also precipitated when the extracts were diffused against pollen extracts from other plants. Pollen extracts of alfalfa, white ash. American beech, burweed marsh elder, redtop grass, corn, plantain, orchard grass, and aspen reacted with one or more other pollen extracts. Extract precipitin activity was reliably obtained after extracting pollens for 20 min with pH 7.5, 0.05M Tris buffer in 0.2M of saline. Optimal agarose gel conditions for detecting the precipitin reactions were pH 8.5 to 9.0, 75 mM borate buffer made to an ionic strength of 1.5M with NaCl for concanavalin A pollen reactions and 0.015M with NaCl for pollen-pollen reactions. The presence of the borate ion was necessary for optimal detection of the agarose gel precipitates. Studies of the inhibition of the lectin-pollen and pollen-pollen reactions with specific mono and disaccharides revealed many similarities and differences between the two types of reactions. The high concentrations of glycerol used to stabilize pollen extracts also inhibit these reactions.

Lectin-like constituents of foods which react with components of serum, saliva, and Streptococcus mutans.

Hot and cold aqueous extracts were prepared from 22 commonly ingested fruits, vegetables, and seeds. When tested by agar diffusion, extracts from 13 and 10 of the foods formed precipitin bands with samples of normal rabbit serum and human saliva, respectively; extracts from four of the foods also reacted with antigen extracts of strains of Streptococcus mutans. When added to rabbit antiserum, extracts from 18 of 21 foods tested inhibited reactivity with antigen extracts derived from S. mutans MT3. Extracts from 16 foods agglutinated whole S. mutans cells, whereas those from 10 foods agglutinated human erythrocytes of blood types A and B. The lectin-like activities of extracts which reacted with human saliva were studied further. Pretreatment of saliva-coated hydroxyapatite (S-HA) beads with extracts of bananas, coconuts, carrots, alfalfa, and sunflower seeds markedly reduced the subsequent adsorption of S. mutans MT3. Pretreatment of S-HA with banana extract also strongly inhibited adsorption of S. mutans H12 and S. sanguis C1, but it had little effect on attachment of Actinomyces naeslundii L13 or A. viscosus LY7. Absorption experiments indicated that the component(s) in banana extract responsible for inhibiting streptococcal adsorption to S-HA was identical to that which bound to human erythrocytes. The banana hemagglutinin exhibited highest activity between pH 7 and 8, and it was inhibited by high concentrations of glucosamine, galactosamine, and, to a lesser extent, mannosamine. Other sugars tested had no effect. The selective bacterial adsorption-inhibiting effect noted for banana extract was also observed in studies with purified lectins. Thus, pretreating S-HA with wheat germ agglutinin and concanavalin A inhibited adsorption of S. mutans MT3 cells, whereas peanut agglutinin, Ulex agglutinin, Dolichos agglutinin, and soybean agglutinin had little effect; none of these lectins affected attachment of A. viscosus LY7. Collectively, the observations suggest that many foods contain lectins which can interact with components of human saliva and S. mutans cells. Because of their potential to influence host-parasite interactions in the mouth and elsewhere in the gastrointestinal canal, these reactions warrant further study.

Coniferyl and sinapyl alcohols: major phenylpropanoids released in hot water extracts of tobacco and alfalfa

Coniferyl and sinapyl alcohols: major phenylpropanoids released in hot water extracts of tobacco and alfalfa

Uptake, Translocation, and Metabolism of Propham by Wheat(Triticum aestivum), Sugarbeet(Beta vulgaris), and Alfalfa(Medicago sativa)

Uptake, translocation, and metabolism of propham (isopropyl carbanilate) were ascertained for wheat(Triticum aestivumL., ‘Neepawa’) sugarbeet(Beta vulgarisL., ‘HH-10’), and alfalfa(Medicago sativaL., ‘Cherokee’) when grown in either liquid culture or in soil. Three-week-old wheat and 5-week-old sugarbeet and alfalfa plants were treated with14C-propham in liquid culture for 1, 2, and 4 days. Other plants were placed in treated soil at 10 weeks after germination and grown for 15 weeks. Wheat absorbed 98%, sugarbeet 93%, and alfalfa 81% of the propham from solution after 4 days. Propham was translocated in all species. Under liquid culture, three polar metabolites of propham were isolated from wheat and alfalfa extracts and one was isolated from sugarbeet extracts. The agylcone moiety of the two most polar wheat metabolites was isopropyl-4-hydroxycarbanilate and that of the least polar metabolite was isopropyl-2-hydroxycarbanilate. The aglycone of all alfalfa and sugarbeet polar metabolites was isopropyl-4-hydroxycarbanilate. Only one polar metabolite was isolated from all soil-treated plants. The aglycone moiety was determined to be isopropyl-4-hydroxycarbanilate. Of the propham absorbed 95, 91, 89, and 36% was metabolized by sugarbeet roots, sugarbeet leaves, wheat leaves, and alfalfa leaves, respectively, after a 4-day liquid culture treatment. Propham was 100% metabolized when applied to plants via soil application.

Cellulolytic cocci isolated from the cecum of guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus).

Five strains of anaerobic, gram-variable cellulolytic cocci, belonging to the genus Ruminococcus, were isolated from the cecum of a guinea pig. They differed from most previously described strains of cellulolytic ruminococci as follows. (i) Lactate was the major fermentation product; lesser amounts of formate and ethanol and a trace of succinate were also produced, along with an uptake of acetate. (ii) No growth occurred at 30 degrees C; however, good growth was observed at 38 and 45 degrees C, (iii) Glucose, cellobiose, cellulose, xylose, arabinose, xylan, sucrose, and lactose were fermented by all strains. Rumen fluid was required for growth in a complete medium containing all nutrients previously found to be required by species in this genus. Limited growth occurred when rumen fluid was replaced by yeast extract, and maximum, but delayed, growth occurred when a water extract of alfalfa was added to the complete medium. No qualitative differences were found in the cell wall amino acids and sugar composition of these strains as compared to Ruminococcus flavefaciens and Ruminococcus albus; however, cell walls of the guinea pig strains appeared to contain a higher proportion of glucose.

A Possible New Nucleoside Diphosphatase from the Cytosol of Soybean and Alfalfa Nodules

Nucleoside diphosphatase activity has been found in the cytosol of soybean (Glycine max) and alfalfa (Medicago satavia) nodules. The enzyme differs from other diphosphatases in that it does not exhibit a strong preference for one nucleoside diphosphate over another. Very little, if any, diphosphatase activity was detected in root extracts of alfalfa and soybean seedlings.

Lipoxygenase from Medicago sativa: Purification on hydroxyapatite

Three lipid-oxidizing fractions obtained from an alfalfa extract by stepwise elution from a CM-cellulose column were further purified on hydroxyapatite columns. Although substantial separation between lipoxygenase and peroxidase activities was achieved, only one of the protein fractions migrated as a single band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and exhibited the properties of pure lipoxygenase,

Pigmentation of Egg Yolks by Xanthophylls from Corn, Marigold, Alfalfa and Synthetic Sources

Leghorn-type hens in cages and floor pens were used to evaluate pigmenting potential for producing table-egg and intensely colored egg yolks from the xanthophylls in corn gluten meal, alfalfa and marigold meal and for β-apo 8′ carotenal (BAC) and the carotenoic acid ethyl ester (BACE). There were no consistent differences in utilization efficiencies between corn gluten meal, 20% protein dehydrated alfalfa meal, a 40% protein alfalfa concentrate, total xanthophyll extracts of corn or alfalfa or BAC. Xanthophylls in marigold meal, although most concentrated, were least utilizable and BACE was most efficiently utilized. Lutein isolated from alfalfa was not utilized as well at levels up to 22 p.p.m. as the xanthophylls of alfalfa meal or the alfalfa extracts, suggesting the presence of a factor in the latter materials which enhances xanthophyll utilization. Utilization was superior for caged hens vs. floor housed hens.

Studies on Estrogenic Substances in Herbage : VI. Seasonal variation of growth promoting effect of alfalfa extract on the golden hamster

Studies on Estrogenic Substances in Herbage : VI. Seasonal variation of growth promoting effect of alfalfa extract on the golden hamster

Biological properties and pathological role of a phytotoxic glycopeptide from Corynebacterium insidiosum

A phytotoxic glycopeptide was isolated from cultures of Corynebacterium insidiosum and from alfalfa plants infected with this organism. The toxin causes wilting in both leaves and stems of test plants and exhibits no host specificity. Biological activity of the compound is dependent on time and on concentration. The toxin is stable to wide fluctuations in pH and still retains biological activity after heating at 121 °C for 2 h. Partial acid hydrolysis of the toxin abolished its biological activity. Modification of the glycopeptide obtained from cultures to remove chelated copper results in a colorless apotoxin which still possesses biological activity and a molecular weight virtually identical to the untreated toxin. A phytotoxic compound was also isolated from infected alfalfa tissue and was present in quantities large enough to account for symptom production in biological assay tests. The glycopeptide from alfalfa extracts was similar to the apotoxin (glycopeptide from cultures) in that the same sugar residues were present, the molecular weights were the same and the optical rotations were comparable. The compound meets the requirements of a “vivotoxin”.

IN VITROINHIBITION OF SUCCINATE OXIDATION BY ALFALFA SAPONIN

The effect of various levels of alfalfa saponin on the in vitro oxidation of succinate by rat liver homogenates was examined. With levels of 1 to 30 mg saponin per 100 mg liver tissue, the degree of inhibition increased from 3 to 90%. The inhibition was noncompetitive, since it was not overcome by increasing the substrate concentration. Mitochondria isolated from homogenates which had been incubated with saponin exhibited a reduced capacity to oxidize succinate of about the same magnitude as observed when saponin was added directly to the homogenates in the reaction vessels. Since the procedure for isolation of mitochondria should remove any unbound saponin, the reduction in oxidation capacity was attributed to binding of saponin to the succinoxidase enzyme. Thus, cumulative effects of saponin on enzyme activity might occur in vivo. Ethanol extracts of alfalfa were also found to inhibit in vitro succinate oxidation. Evidence is presented indicating that the inhibitory activity of these extracts was not due to their saponin content. Possible implications of the inhibition of succinate oxidation by alfalfa saponin are discussed.

Additions to the Aliphatic Moiety of Chlorophenoxy Compounds

Ester derivatives of (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D), 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)butyric acid (2,4-DB), 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)crotonic acid, and 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy-β-hydroxy)butyric acid each were applied to alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.). Analysis of alfalfa extracts by gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy indicated 2-carbon additions to the aliphatic side chain of the applied chlorophenoxy compounds.