Apocynum Venetum Research Articles

Relationships between plant community and soil chemical factors in coastal saline area of Shandong, China

To reveal the correlation between plant communities and soil chemical factors (pH, the total amount of soil soluble salt, TN, TP, SOM, K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl-, SO42-, HCO3-) in Shandong coastal saline area, a field investigation of 81 samples was carried out and the chemical properties of the soil were analyzed. The results showed that a total of 85 species, 67 genera and 30 families of salt-tolerant plants were recorded. The top three dominant families were Compositae, Gramineae and Chenopodiaceae. The community could be divided into four types: Phragmites aus-tralis - Imperata cylindrical + Artemisia capillaris, Suaeda salsa + P. australis - A. capillaris + Kochia scoparia, P. australis - Typha orientalis + Apocynum venetum, P. australis - A. venetum. The CCA sequencing results showed that the soil total soluble salt and water-soluble ions were the key chemical factors affecting the distribution of salt-tolerant vegetation, followed by total nitrogen content. The community of P. australis - I. cylindrical + A. capillaris had richest species diversity among the four community types, and the resources of salt-tolerant plants were abundant. The species diversity of plant community showed a significant negative correlation with soil total soluble salts and water soluble salt ions content. The plant community diversity index would be reduced by the high saline soil.

Identification and Validation of Stable Reference Genes for Gene Expression Analysis in Sword-leaf Dogbane Using Quantitative Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Sword-leaf dogbane (Apocynum venetum) is a traditional Chinese herb with increasingly recognized potential to enhance health, but no study of stable reference genes in this herb has been reported. Based on a homologous cloning strategy, we have successfully cloned five candidate reference genes from sword-leaf dogbane: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (AvGAPDH), beta tubulin (AvbTUB), polyubiquitin (AvUBQ), elongation factor 1-alpha (AvEF1α), and actin (AvACTIN). Three distinct algorithms, geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper, were used to estimate the expression stability of candidate reference primer pairs. We found that AvACTIN-2 and AvACTIN-3 presented the highest stability of expression in different tissue samples, and AvGAPDH-2 was most stable under salinity stress. In addition, we illustrated the application of these new reference genes by assaying the expression levels of two hyperoside biosynthesis terminal enzyme genes, flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase (F3′H) and flavonol synthase (FLS), under salinity stress. Our study is the first to report stable expression of internal reference genes in sword-leaf dogbane in multiple experimental sample sets.

Physıologıcal response of Apocynum venetum L. seedlıngs under osmotıc stress

Effects of drought stress were induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) (10, 20, and 30% ) for 2, 4, 6 and 8 days in Apocynum venetum L. seedlings with the potting method. The results showed that PEG significantly increased the activities of glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and the contents of electrolyte leakage rates, MDA, proline and soluble sugar were increased from 30% PEG. Thus, it was indicated that the application of exogenous 30% PEG induced oxidative damage by enhancing antioxidant defense systems.

Variations in Physiology and Multiple Bioactive Constituents under Salt Stress Provide Insight into the Quality Evaluation of Apocyni Veneti Folium.

As one of the major abiotic stresses, salinity stress may affect the physiology and biochemical components of Apocynum venetum L. To systematically evaluate the quality of Apocyni Veneti Folium (AVF) from the perspective of physiological and the wide variety of bioactive components response to various concentrations of salt stress, this experiment was arranged on the basis of ultra-fast liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS) technology and multivariate statistical analysis. Physiological characteristics of photosynthetic pigments, osmotic homeostasis, lipid peroxidation product, and antioxidative enzymes were introduced to investigate the salt tolerance mechanism of AVF under salinity treatments of four concentrations (0, 100, 200, and 300 mM NaCl, respectively). Furthermore, a total of 43 bioactive constituents, including 14 amino acids, nine nucleosides, six organic acids, and 14 flavonoids were quantified in AVF under salt stress. In addition, multivariate statistical analysis, including hierarchical clustering analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and gray relational analysis (GRA) was employed to systematically cluster, distinguish, and evaluate the samples, respectively. Compared with the control, the results demonstrated that 200 mM and 100 mM salt stress contributed to maintain high quality of photosynthesis, osmotic balance, antioxidant enzyme activity, and the accumulation of metabolites, except for total organic acids, and the quality of AVF obtained by these two groups was better than others; however, under severe stress, the accumulation of the oxidative damage and the reduction of metabolite caused by inefficiently scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) lead to lower quality. In summary, the proposed method may provide integrated information for the quality evaluation of AVF and other salt-tolerant Chinese medicines.

Meroterpenoids and Isocoumarinoids from a Myrothecium Fungus Associated with Apocynum Venetum.

Four new meroterpenoids 1–4 and four new isocoumarinoids 5–8, along with five known isocoumarinoids (9–13), were isolated from the fungus Myrothecium sp. OUCMDZ-2784 associated with the salt-resistant medicinal plant, Apocynum venetum (Apocynaceae). Their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic analysis, X-ray crystallography, ECD spectra and quantum chemical calculations. Compounds 1–5, 7, 9 and 10 showed weak α-glucosidase inhibition with the IC50 values of 0.50, 0.66, 0.058, 0.20, 0.32, 0.036, 0.026 and 0.37 mM, respectively.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Albinism and mosaicism in Apocynum venetum associated with viral infections in China.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Albinism and mosaicism in Apocynum venetum associated with viral infections in China.

Subcellular distribution and chemical forms of lithium in Li-accumulator Apocynum venetum

Apocynum venetum is a promising species to remediate an emerging environmental contaminant lithium (Li). However, no research has been conducted so far relating Li tolerance mechanism. In order to improve the understanding of Li transportation and detoxification, subcellular accumulation and distribution of different chemical forms of Li was studied in Apocynum venetum. Subcellular Li compartmentalization analysis showed that majority of Li was located in vacuole (45.52–72.65%) and cell wall (14.84–29.02%) under Li treatment. Furthermore, water soluble and ethonal extracted Li (inorganic Li) are the main chemical forms of Li taken up by A. venetum. With the increase of Li concentration in the medium, Li content in all subcellular fractions and proportion of F-ethanol form with high mobility increased. The greatest amount of Li was found in soluble fraction in leaves at 25 mg L−1 Li treatment, followed by soluble fraction in leaves at 2.5 mg L−1. These results suggest that Li compartmentation in leaf vacuoles is important in Li detoxification and Li accumulation of A. venetum.

Tolerance and accumulation of lithium in Apocynum pictum Schrenk.

Primarily, lithium (Li) resource development and wider application of Li-ion batteries result in Li pollution and concomitantly poses increasing and inevitable problems to environmental health and safety. However, information is rare about the scope of the remediation of Li contaminated soil. Apocynum venetum is already proved to be a Li-accumulator with high Li tolerance and accumulation (Jiang et al., 2014). However, it is not clear whether Apocynum pictum, another species of the same genus with the same uses as A. venetum, is also a Li-accumulator. We investigated germination, growth and physiological responses of A. pictum to different levels of LiCl. Germination was not significantly affected by low Li concentration (0–100 mmol L−1). As LiCl increased from 100 to 400 mmol L−1, both germination percentage and index decreased gradually. For germination of A. pictum seeds, the critical value (when germination percentage is 50%) in LiCl solution was 235 mmol L−1, and the limit value (when germination percentage is 0%) was 406 mmol L−1. A. pictum could accumulate >1,800 mg kg−1 Li in leaves, and still survived under 400 mg kg-1 Li supply. The high Li tolerance of A. pictum during germination and growth stage was also reflected by activity of α-amylase and contents of soluble sugar, proline and photosynthetic pigments under different Li treatments. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) (except control) and translocation factors (TF) were higher than 1.0. High tolerance and accumulation of Li indicated that A. pictum is Li-accumulator. Therefore, this species could be useful for revegetation and phytoremediation of Li contaminated soil.

The influence of irrigation frequency on the occurrence of rust disease (Melampsora apocyni) and determination of the optimum irrigation regime in organic Apocynum venetum production

In the Altay Prefecture, serious rust disease develops on Apocynum venetum in the organic farming systems that apply water every two to three days using trickle irrigation. A two-year field experiment was conducted to study the influence of extending the irrigation frequency on rust development and the economic viability of A. venetum. The maximum disease index (DImax) and the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) with an irrigation interval of three days (T1 treatment, control in this study) reached 48.4% and 718 in 2012 and 54.4% and 1561 in 2013. With irrigation extended out to intervals of seven (T3 treatment), nine (T4 treatment) and eleven days (T5 treatment), the DImax were 35.4% to 61.9%, and the AUDPC were 36.4% to 65.6%, lower than that of the T1 treatment. For all irrigation treatments, the AUDPC had a significant positive correlation with the soil water content of the surface (0–20 cm in depth) and the main distributing regions of roots (20.1–40 cm in depth), as well as the density of A. venetum. For the T3 treatment, the economic value of applied irrigation water was the highest and the amount of water applied was 54.8% lower than that of the T1 treatment, and thus it was determined as the optimum irrigation regime.

Study on chemical constituents of Apocynum venetum L. leaves by LC/MS and determination of the best harvest season

Study on chemical constituents of Apocynum venetum L. leaves by LC/MS and determination of the best harvest season

Protective effect of the total flavonoids from Apocynum venetum L. on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in vitro and in vivo

Apocynum venetum L., belonging to the family Apocynaceae, is a popular medicinal plant, which is commonly used in the treatment of hypertension, neurasthenia, and hepatitis in China. In the present study, the total flavonoids (TFs) were prepared from the leaves of A. venetum, and its protective effects on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in a cultured HepG2 cell line and in mice were investigated. Cell exposed to 0.4% CCl4 (v/v) for 6h led to a significant decrease in cell viability, increased LDH leakage, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). CCl4 also induced cell marked apoptosis, which was accompanied by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Pretreatment with TFs at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100μg/mL effectively relieved CCl4-induced cellular damage in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo, TFs (100, 200, and 400mg/kg BW) were administered via gavage daily for 14days before CCl4 treatment. The high serum ALT and AST levels induced by CCl4 were dose-dependently suppressed by pretreatment of TFs (200 and 400mg/kg BW). Histological analysis also supported the results obtained from serum assays. Furthermore, TFs could prevent CCl4-caused oxidative damage by decreasing the MDA formation and increasing antioxidant enzymes (CAT, SOD, GSH-Px) activities in liver tissues. In summary, both in vitro and in vivo data suggest that TFs, prepared from A. venetum, showed a remarkable hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity against CCl4-induced liver damage.

Quality Evaluation of Apocyni Veneti Folium from Different Habitats and Commercial Herbs Based on Simultaneous Determination of Multiple Bioactive Constituents Combined with Multivariate Statistical Analysis.

Apocyni Veneti Folium (AVF) is a kind of staple traditional Chinese medicine with vast clinical consumption because of its positive effects. However, due to the habitats and adulterants, its quality is uneven. To control the quality of this medicinal herb, in this study, the quality of AVF was evaluated based on simultaneous determination of multiple bioactive constituents combined with multivariate statistical analysis. A reliable method based on ultra-fast liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of a total of 43 constituents, including 15 flavonoids, 6 organic acids, 13 amino acids, and 9 nucleosides in 41 Luobumaye samples from different habitats and commercial herbs. Furthermore, according to the contents of these 43 constituents, principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to classify and distinguish between AVF and its adulterants, leaves of Poacynum hendersonii (PHF), and gray relational analysis (GRA) was performed to evaluate the quality of the samples. The proposed method was successfully applied to the comprehensive quality evaluation of AVF, and all results demonstrated that the quality of AVF was higher than the PHF. This study will provide comprehensive information necessary for the quality control of AVF.

Apocynum venetum leaf extract reverses depressive-like behaviors in chronically stressed rats by inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis

BackgroundMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a common but serious psychiatric disorder, but current treatments are inadequate for approximately half of the patients with MDD. Thus, better methods of treatment are urgently needed. This study aimed to investigate the antidepressant-like effects and potential mechanism of Apocynum venetum leaf extract (AVLE) in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model of depression. Materials and methodsThe CUMS rat model of depression was used to investigate the antidepressant-like activity and relevant mechanism of AVLE (30, 60, and 125 mg/kg, i.g.). Behavioral tests, including sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT), and forced swimming test (FST) were conducted to assess anhedonic, despairing, and spontaneous behaviors, respectively. The activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis was evaluated by measuring the serum adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT) concentrations. The underlying mechanism was further explored by assessing oxidative stress parameters, cell apoptosis, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the rat hippocampus exposed to CUMS. ResultsThe AVLE (36, 60, 125 mg/kg) treatment exerted antidepressant-like effects in CUMS-exposed rats similar to fluoxetine (10 mg/kg). The AVLE treatment reduced the serum CORT and ACTH levels in CUMS rats. It also increased the activities and gene expression of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GPx) and decreased the ROS generation levels and the lipid peroxidation marker MDA in the rat hippocampus subjected to CUMS. Additionally, it suppressed the apoptosis of hippocampus cells by modulating Bcl-2/Bax pathways and improved the hippocampal BDNF expressions of CUMS rats. ConclusionOur findings suggested that AVLE exerted antidepressant-like effects in CUMS rats, which was possibly mediated by the prevention of oxidative stress, the inhibition of hippocampal neuronal apoptosis, and the upregulation of the hippocampal BDNF level.

High lithium tolerance of Apocynum venetum seeds during germination.

Identification and use of lithium (Li) accumulator plants is a promising strategy to remediate Li-contaminated soil. Apocynum venetum is reported as a Li accumulator. However, its tolerance to Li salt during germination is still unknown. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two Li salts on seed germination of A. venetum.At the same concentrations, germination percentages in LiCl solution were higher than that in Li2CO3 solution. At 25°C, seeds germinated to 4-90% at 0-400mmolL-1 LiCl and 3-91% at 0-150mmolL-1 Li2CO3. Low concentration (0-50mmolL-1) of LiCl did not significantly affect germination percentage. The simulated critical value (when germination percentage is 50%) in LiCl solution is 196mmolL-1, and 36mmolL-1 for Li2CO3. Activity of α-amylase, contents of MDA, soluble sugar, and proline were dramatically affected by Li salts, especially at medium and late germination stages. When compared with control, α-amylase activity of seeds under 25mmolL-1 LiCl and 10mmolL-1 Li2CO3 did not show significant difference. Germination percentage and index, radicle length, and physiological parameters indicate A. venetum seeds are highly tolerant to Li salts during germination, especially LiCl.

Investigation of the degradation of bio-recalcitrance in Apocynum venetum fiber biodegumming

ABSTRACTTraditional degumming of bast fibers results in problems such as environmental pollution and inferior fiber quality. For these reasons, biodegumming was considered as a potential process for bast fibers. In biodegumming process, decomposition of noncellulosic components was the pivotal problem. In this manuscript, the bast fiber of Apocynum venetum was processed with combinatorial processing, containing physical, chemical and microbial effect. The structural bio-recalcitrance was analyzed at molecular, supermolecular and morphological level in each stage. The results show that main substance in recalcitrance of Apocynum venetum bast is lignin and hemicellulose. And the protein and wax is also the constituent of bio-recalcitrance. The recalcitrance in the bast tissue can be divided into three layers. The spatial structure and the distribution of the noncellulosic substances also contribute to the recalcitrance. This paper provides directions for pretreatment design to render biomass more amenable to bioprocessing.

Apocynum venetum Leaf Extract Exerts Antidepressant-Like Effects and Inhibits Hippocampal and Cortical Apoptosis of Rats Exposed to Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress.

We investigated the effects of Apocynum venetum leaf extract (AVLE) on depressive behaviors and neuronal apoptosis in a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model of depression. Rats were randomly divided into six groups: control, chronic unpredictable mild stress, fluoxetine, AVLE30, AVLE60, and AVLE120. Except for the control group, all rats were submitted to chronic unpredictable mild stress paradigms for four weeks to induce depressive behavior. Neuronal apoptosis was assessed by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase- (TDT-) mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL) method. The expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins, such as B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 Associated X Protein (Bax), cysteine-aspartic acid protease-3 and protease-9 (caspase-3 and caspase-9), cytochrome c (cyt-C), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and cAMP-response element binding (CREB) protein, were evaluated by western blot. Treatment with AVLE (60 or 120 mg/kg/day) significantly improved depressive behavior. Increased apoptosis of hippocampus and cortical neurons were observed in CUMS rats, while 120 mg/kg/day of AVLE significantly reversed these changes and achieved the best antidepressant-like effects among the doses tested. Moreover, AVLE (120 mg/kg) significantly increased Bcl-2, BDNF, and CREB protein expression and decreased Bax, cyt-C, and caspase family protein expression. Our results indicate that AVLE has potent antidepressant activity, likely due to its ability to suppress neuronal apoptosis.

Site-specific accumulation and dynamic change of flavonoids in Apocyni Veneti Folium.

Site-specific accumulation of flavonoids in Apocyni Veneti Folium was determined by laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) and the localization of catechins also was observed via vanillin-HCl staining under the conventional optical microscope. The contents of five flavonoids in Apocyni Veneti Folium from different harvest times and growth parts were measured using HPLC method. LSCM observation showed that flavonoids are accumulated in cuticle of epidermal cells and vessel walls, especially in protoplasts and nucleolus of the collenchyma cells and the epidermal cells. Catechins are localized in the palisade parenchyma cells and vessel walls, particularly in the laticifers found in the phloem. On the basis of the difference of the maximal emission wavelength between quercetin and kaempferol derivatives which have fluorescence behavior by appropriate treatment, kaempferol and its derivatives are localized exclusively in the cuticle. Results showed that the content of astragalin in Apocyni Veneti Folium from different parts revealed the decreasing trend, while hyperin and isoquercitrin were higher in June and July analyzed by HPLC. In summary, the site-specific accumulation of flavonoids in Apocyni Veneti Folium can be determined by LSCM and vanillin-HCl staining. The contents of flavonoids in Apocyni Veneti Folium are correlated with harvest times and growth parts.

Chemopreventive Potential of Ethanolic Extracts of Luobuma Leaves (Apocynum venetum L.) in Androgen Insensitive Prostate Cancer.

Luobuma (Apocynum venetum L. (AVL)) is a popular beverage in Asia and has been reportedly to be associated with the bioactivities such as cardiotonic, diuretic, antioxidative, and antihypertensive. However, its biofunction as chemoprevention activity is seldom addressed. Herein, we aimed to characterize the anti-androgen-insensitive-prostate-cancer (anti-AIPC) bioactive compounds of Luobuma, and to investigate the associated molecular mechanisms. Activity-guided-fractionation (antioxidative activity and cell survivability) of Luobuma ethanolic extracts was performed to isolate and characterize the major bioactive compounds using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC), Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Plant sterols (lupeol, stigamasterol and β-sitosterol) and polyphenolics (isorhamnetin, kaempferol, and quercetin) were identified. Lupeol, a triterpene found in the fraction (F8) eluted by 10% ethyl acetate/90% hexane and accounted for 19.3% (w/w) of F8, inhibited the proliferation of PC3 cells. Both lupeol and F8 induced G2/M arrest, inhibition of β-catenin signaling, regulation of apoptotic signal molecules (cytochrome c, Bcl-2, P53, and caspase 3 and 8), and suppression DNA repair enzyme expression (Uracil-DNA glycosylase (UNG)). To our knowledge, our study is the first report that lupeol inhibited the expression of UNG to elicit the cytotoxicity against androgen-insensitive-prostate-cancer cells. Collectively, Luobuma, which contains several antitumor bioactive compounds, holds the potential to be a dietary chemopreventive agent for prostate cancer.

The occurrence of rust disease, and biochemical and physiological responses on Apocynum venetum plants grown at four soil water contents, following inoculation with Melampsora apocyni

We studied the development of rust disease, and biochemical and physiological responses, on Apocynum venetum plants inoculation with Melampsora apocyni that were growing in a greenhouse at four relative soil water contents. The soil conditions were 25% (severe drought), 50% (mild drought), 75% (optimal) and 100% (waterlogging) relative soil water content. Plants exposed to drought and waterlogging stress had a lower number of open stomata before inoculation, corresponding with the disease index on the 10th day after inoculation being lower than that of the optimal soil water condition. Inoculated plants exposed to severe and mild drought stress had a gradually enhanced resistance to the rust disease from the 10th day after inoculation, corresponding with the enhanced activity of polyphenol oxidase and phenylalanine ammonialyase. For the inoculated plants exposed to severe drought stress, hydrogen peroxide always remained at the highest level for any treatment, and they had a rapidly enhanced activity of peroxidase, two factors that were associated with suppression of disease development. A. venetum plants exposed to double stress of waterlogging and disease had a high activity of peroxidase that not only removed reactive oxygen to prevent or reduce cell injury but also enhanced resistance to the rust disease. In addition, a rapidly enhanced activity of phenylalanine ammonialyase in the waterlogging condition from the 25th day after inoculation was also associated with an enhanced resistance to the rust disease. Drought and waterlogging stress had a negative effect on the leaf photosystem, and in particular, there was a significant decrease in the net photosynthetic rate with an increase in the duration and degree of drought stress, and this lead to a statistically significant decrease in the weight of aboveground tissue compared with that of plants under optimal soil water condition (P 0.05) decrease in the weight of aboveground tissue compared with that of non-inoculated plants under drought stress.

Coloration of Apocynum venetum/cotton blends with an acid dye through combined pretreatment using cationic nanoparticles

Cationic copolymer nanoparticles were used to modify Apocynum venetum/cotton blended fabrics. The modified blends were then dyed using CI Acid Red 14. In order to enhance the colour performance, the effects of combined pretreatment using nanoparticles and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) or plasma were investigated. The results show that combined pretreatment with NaOH and nanoparticles improved the dyeing effect. The optimum concentrations of NaOH and nanoparticles were 100 and 2 g l−1 respectively. In addition, using CMC to pretreat the fabrics could also improve the acid dyeing performance. However, the combination of plasma pretreatment and cationic nanoparticle modification produced the best colour performance for acid‐dyed A. venetum/cotton blends. The dye exhaustion rate is highest (up to 95%) with plasma pretreatment. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that combined treatment with plasma and nanoparticles resulted in a far greater number of nanoparticles being deposited on the fibre surface. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the pretreatments with different procedures significantly changed the chemical components of the fibre surfaces. The aromatic rings of acid dye molecules covered the fibre surfaces after plasma and nanoparticle pretreatment and acid dyeing.