Injection Of Extract Research Articles

Solanum nigrum Fruit Extract Modulates Immune System Activity of Mealworm Beetle, Tenebrio molitor L.

Here, we report the first evidence concerning the modulation of insect immune system activity after applying Solanum nigrum fruit extract (EXT). We focused on two main issues: (1) is EXT cytotoxic for Tenebrio molitor haemocytes? and (2) how EXT affects the basic immune mechanisms of T. molitor. The results indicate cytotoxic action of 0.01 and 0.1% EXT on beetle haemocytes. Both the injection of EXT and incubating haemocytes with the EXT solution on microscopic slides significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells. However, 24 h after injection of 0.1% EXT cytotoxic effect of the tested extract probably was masked by the increased number of circulating haemocytes. Application of 0.01 and 0.1% EXT led to impairment of the activity of basic immune mechanisms such as phenoloxidase activity and the lysozyme-like antimicrobial activity of T. molitor haemolymph. Moreover, the EXT elicited significant changes in the expression level of selected immune genes. However, some of the immunomodulatory effects of EXT were different in beetles with and without an activated immune system. The obtained results are an essential step toward a complete understanding of the EXT mode of action on the T. molitor physiology and its potential usage in pest control.

Determination of free phenolic acids from leaves within different colored maize

Along with other plant parts, maize leaves are widely used for making fermented food for cattle, known as silage. Since there have been only a few reports on studies concerning the extraction and determination of phenolic acids from maize leaves, the main goal of this experiment was to evaluate free phenolic acids content in leaves of fifteen different maize inbred lines. Reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), equipped with photodiode array detector (DAD), was performed. Under the optimization of chromatographic conditions, referring to short time of samples preparation, small quantities of solvent and direct injection of extract into HPLC, phenolic acids (i.e. gallic, protocatechuic, caffeic, p-coumaric and ferulic acid) were successfully separated in less than 25 min, indicating that the method can be applied for routine analysis. The efficiency and validation of the method was evaluated by measuring the rate of parameters: linearity, limit of detection and quantification, accuracy and precision. Results obtained revealed that the most abundant free phenolic acid was p-coumaric acid (23.57 ?g g-1 dry weight), followed by ferulic and caffeic acids (21.27 and 20.78 ?g g-1 dry weight, respectively). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed the existence of link.