Pistacia Weinmannifolia Research Articles

Climate change will decrease the coverage of suitable niches for Asian medicinal orchid (Bulbophyllum odoratissimum) and its main phorophyte (Pistacia weinmannifolia).

Considering the global biodiversity crisis and the growing demand for medicinal plants, it is crucial to preserve therapeutically useful herbs. From a conservation management perspective under climate change, identifying areas that enable valuable natural resources to persist in the future is crucial. Machine learning-based models are commonly used to estimate the locations of climate refugia, which are critical for the effective species conservation. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of global warming on the epiphytic medicinal orchid-Bulbophyllum odoratissimum. Given how the long-term survival of plants inhabiting shrubs and trees depends on the availability of suitable phorophyets, in this research potential range changes in reported orchid plant hosts were evaluated. According to conducted analyses, global warming will cause a decline in the coverage of the suitable niches for B. odoratissimum and its main phorophyte. The most significant habitat loss in the case of the studied orchid and Pistacia weinmannifolia will be observed in the southern part of their geographical ranges and some new niches will simultaneously become available for these plants in the northern part. Climate change will significantly increase the overlap of geographical ranges of P. weinmannifolia and the orchid. In the SSP5-8.5 scenario trees will be available for more than 56% of the orchid population. Other analyzed phorophytes, will be available for B. odoratissimum to a very reduced extent, as orchids will only utilize these species as habitats only occasionally. This study provides data on the distribution of climatic refugia of B. odoratissimum under global warming. Moreover, this is the first evaluation of the future geographical ranges for its phorophytes. According to the conducted analyses, only one of the previously reported tree species which are inhabited by B. odoratissimum, P. weinmannifolia, can serve as a phorophyte for this orchid in the future. In this study, the areas designated as suitable for the occurrence of both orchids and their phorophytes should be considered priority conservation areas for the studied medicinal plants.

Influence of Growth Regulators and Tryptophan on Enhancing Production Bioactive Compounds in Callus Cultures of Pistacia weinmannifolia

The experiment was conducted in Tissue culture laboratory at the Biology Department, College of Science ‘University of Al-Qadisiyah. With two explants (the growing apex and the lateral buds), the researchers looked at how the growth regulators (IAA and BA) and Tryptophan affected callus weight and stimulated the synthesis of active substance in Pistacia weinmannifolia plants grown in a tissue culture setting. After sterilization in 70% ethanol solution for 1 minute and 10% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solution for 20 minutes, one node 0.5–1.0 cm in length is planted in test tubes containing MS medium for tissue culture, to which various concentrations of growth regulators and Tryptophan are added, and the tubes are placed in a growth chamber with a temperature of 252 °C and light conditions. Data taken after 45 days of cultivation for all experiments. Better treatment IAA (0.2 mg/L) BA (0.5m.1) and Tryptophan ( 0.1mg/L) gave the highest weight. And significant increase of pentadecanc, Methylox and Catolin. As for treatment IAA ( 0.2mg/L) BA (0.25mg/L) Tryptophan ( 0.1 mg/L) gave highes percentage of active compound Hexadecene.

Fungal diversity driven by bark features affects phorophyte preference in epiphytic orchids from southern China

Epiphytic orchids exhibit varying degrees of phorophyte tree specificity. We performed a pilot study to investigate why epiphytic orchids prefer or avoid certain trees. We selected two orchid species, Panisea uniflora and Bulbophyllum odoratissimum co-occurring in a forest habitat in southern China, where they showed a specific association with Quercus yiwuensis and Pistacia weinmannifolia trees, respectively. We analysed a number of environmental factors potentially influencing the relationship between orchids and trees. Difference in bark features, such as water holding capacity and pH were recorded between Q. yiwuensis and P. weinmannifolia, which could influence both orchid seed germination and fungal diversity on the two phorophytes. Morphological and molecular culture-based methods, combined with metabarcoding analyses, were used to assess fungal communities associated with studied orchids and trees. A total of 162 fungal species in 74 genera were isolated from bark samples. Only two genera, Acremonium and Verticillium, were shared by the two phorophyte species. Metabarcoding analysis confirmed the presence of significantly different fungal communities on the investigated tree and orchid species, with considerable similarity between each orchid species and its host tree, suggesting that the orchid-host tree association is influenced by the fungal communities of the host tree bark.

Pistacia weinmannifolia root exerts a protective role in ovalbumin‑induced lung inflammation in a mouse allergic asthma model.

Pistacia weinmannifolia (Anacardiaceae) has been used in herbal medicine for the treatment of influenza, dysentery and enteritis in China. It was recently observed that P. weinmannifolia root extract (PWRE) exerts anti-inflammatory effects both in in vitro and in vivo models. Based on the results from previous studies, the present study investigated the protective effect of PWRE on airway inflammation and mucus hypersecretion. Treatment with PWRE significantly decreased the number of eosinophils and the levels of Th2 cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IL-13, in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of OVA-exposed mice. PWRE decreased the high serum levels of total and OVA-specific immunoglobulin E. PWRE also effectively inhibited the influx of inflammatory cells into the lung, as well as airway mucus hypersecretion. In addition, the increased level of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 was significantly decreased with the PWRE treatment in the BALF of OVA-exposed mice and in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. These protective effects of PWRE on OVA-induced pulmonary inflammation were accompanied by the downregulation of mitogen associated protein kinases and nuclear factor-κB activation. Thus, the results from the present study indicate that PWRE could be valuable adjuvant for the treatment of asthma.

Pistacia weinmannifolia ameliorates cigarette smoke and lipopolysaccharide‑induced pulmonary inflammation by inhibiting interleukin‑8 production and NF‑κB activation.

Pistacia weinmannifolia (PW) has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat headaches, dysentery, enteritis and influenza. However, PW has not been known for treating respiratory inflammatory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The present in vitro analysis confirmed that PW root extract (PWRE) exerts anti-inflammatory effects in phorbol myristate acetate- or tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)-stimulated human lung epithelial NCI-H292 cells by attenuating the expression of interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6 and Mucin A5 (MUC5AC), which are closely associated with the pulmonary inflammatory response in the pathogenesis of COPD. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effect of PWRE on pulmonary inflammation induced by cigarette smoke (CS) and lipopoly-saccharide (LPS). Treatment with PWRE significantly reduced the quantity of neutrophils and the levels of inflammatory molecules and toxic molecules, including tumor TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, neutrophil elastase and reactive oxygen species, in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of mice with CS- and LPS-induced pulmonary inflammation. PWRE also attenuated the influx of inflammatory cells in the lung tissues. Furthermore, PWRE downregulated the activation of nuclear factor-κB and the expression of phosphodiesterase 4 in the lung tissues. Therefore, these findings suggest that PWRE may be a valuable adjuvant treatment for COPD.

The complete chloroplast genome of the threatened Pistacia weinmannifolia, an economically and horticulturally important evergreen plant

Pistacia weinmannifolia (Anacardiaceae) is a rare, threatened plant endemic to southwestern China and northern Myanmar and has a variety of economic uses. In this study, we assembled complete chloroplast (cp) genome of P. weinmannifolia based on the Illumina reads. The cp genome of P. weinmannifolia was 160,767 bp in length and contained a pair of inverted repeat regions (IR, 26,618 bp), which were separated by the small single copy (SSC, 19,129 bp) and the large single copy (LSC, 88,402 bp) regions. The cp genome encoded 131 genes including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA ribosomal genes. The AT content of cp genome of P. weinmannifolia is 63.2%. A maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis revealed that P. weinmannifolia is closely related to P. vera. The report of this cp genome will be useful for future studies on the conservation, phylogeny, and breeding of P. weinmannifolia and its close relatives.

Enhancing the soil heavy metals removal efficiency by adding HPMA and PBTCA along with plant washing agents

Plant washing agents—water-extracted from Coriaria nepalensis (CN), Clematis brevicaudata (CB), Pistacia weinmannifolia (PW) and Ricinus communis (RC)—are feasible and eco-friendly for soil heavy metal removal, but their single application has limited removal efficiency. To improve their metal removal efficiencies, two biodegradable assistant agents, hydrolytic polymaleic anhydride (HPMA) and 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTCA), were investigated in combination with plant washing agents through batch soil washing experiments. Results showed that the addition of HPMA or PBTCA with plant agents greatly enhanced the removal efficiencies of soil heavy metals (p<0.05). Under acidic conditions, the maximum improvements in soil heavy metal removal reached 18.69% and 18.00% for soil Cd and Zn by PW+HPMA, respectively, and 12.89% for soil Pb by CN+HPMA. Under neutral or alkaline conditions, the largest improvements in soil Cd, Pb and Zn were 24.18%, 54.38% and 25.47% by PW+PBTCA, respectively. When compared with EDTA, the loss rates of soil nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium significantly decreased (p<0.05) and the soil organic carbon significantly increased (p<0.05) after washing with the combinations. Hence, the addition of HPMA or PBTCA with the plant agents could improve the removal of soil heavy metals.

Removal of Pb, Zn, and Cd from contaminated soil by new washing agent from plant material.

Soil washing is an effective approach to remove soil heavy metals, and the washing agent is generally regarded as one of the primary factors in the process, but there is still a lack of efficient and eco-friendly agents for this technique. Here, we showed that four plant washing agents-from water extracts of Coriaria nepalensis (CN), Clematis brevicaudata (CB), Pistacia weinmannifolia (PW), and Ricinus communis (RC)-could be feasible agents for the removal of soil lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd). The metal removal efficiencies of the agents increased with their concentrations from 20 to 80gL-1, decreased with the increasing solution pH, and presented different trends with the reaction time increasing. CN among the four agents had the highest removal efficiencies of soil Pb (62.02%) and Zn (29.18%) but owned the relatively low Cd removal efficiencies (21.59%). The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the abilities of plant washing agents for the removal of soil heavy metals may result from bioactive substances with specific functional groups such as -COOH, -NH2, and -OH. Our study provided CN as the best washing agents for the remediation of contaminated soil by heavy metals.

Simulation of the potential range of Pistacia weinmannifolia in Southwest China with climate change based on the maximum-entropy (Maxent) model

摘要: 清香木(Pistacia weinmannifolia)是中国西南干旱河谷植被的特征种。本文利用野外调查的165个清香木分布 点信息以及22个环境变量数据, 基于最大熵(Maxent)算法构建清香木分布的适宜生境预测模型, 并据此模拟清香 木在我国西南地区的适宜分布区, 以及历史和未来不同气候情景下的分布格局变化。结果表明: 清香木生境预测 的Maxent模型准确性非常高(AUC = 0.974), 温度季节性变化、极端低温和降水量是限制其分布的主要气候因子。 清香木当前的潜在分布区集中在我国西南干旱河谷区, 其适宜生境的气候特征是降水少、温度季节性变化小且无 极端低温。对清香木在末次间冰期和末次冰盛期分布的模拟结果表明, 其分布区范围均以诸大江河的河谷为中心, 随气候变化在我国西南地区主要呈现先向东扩张, 然后向西退缩的趋势, 并印证了“冰期走出横断山(glacial out-of-Hengduan Mts.)”的观点。在未来(2061–2080年) 3种典型浓度路径(representative concentration pathway, RCP) 的气候情景下, 清香木在我国西南地区的分布都向东扩张, 主要分布在云贵高原与四川盆地结合地带的河谷, 以 及云贵高原与广西西部交界地带的河谷中, 这也反映了这些地区河谷地段干旱化的可能, 而当前的潜在分布区趋 于消失; 清香木的潜在适宜分布面积在中低浓度路径情景下均将减少约33%, 而在高浓度路径情景下有所增加。 关键词: 最大熵(Maxent)模型; 清香木; 物种分布区; 适宜生境; 气候变化

Biogeographic history of Pistacia (Anacardiaceae), emphasizing the evolution of the Madrean-Tethyan and the eastern Asian-Tethyan disjunctions

Pistacia L. exhibits a disjunct distribution in Mediterranean Eurasia and adjacent North Africa, eastern Asia, and North to Central America. The spatio-temporal diversification history of Pistacia was assessed to test hypotheses on the Madrean-Tethyan and the Eurasian Tethyan disjunctions through phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian methods were employed to analyze sequences of multiple nuclear and plastid loci of Pistacia species. Bayesian dating analysis was conducted to estimate the divergence times of clades. The likelihood method LAGRANGE was used to infer ancestral areas. The New World species of Pistacia formed a clade sister to the Old World clade in all phylogenetic analyses. The eastern Asian Pistacia weinmannifolia–P. cucphuongensis clade was sister to a clade of the remaining Old World species, which were further resolved into three subclades. Pistacia was estimated to have originated at 37.60mya (with 95% highest posterior density interval (HPD): 25.42–48.51mya). A vicariance event in the early Miocene (19.79mya with 95% HPD: 10.88–30.36mya) was inferred to account for the intercontinental disjunction between the New World and the Old World species, which is consistent with the Madrean-Tethyan hypothesis. The two Old World eastern Asian-Tethyan disjunctions are best explained by one vicariance event in the early Miocene (15.87mya with 95% HPD: 8.36–24.36mya) and one dispersal event in late Miocene (5.89mya with 95% HPD: 2.68–9.16mya). The diversification of the Old World Pistacia species was significantly affected by extensive geological and climatic changes in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau (QTP) and in the Mediterranean region.

Stable Isotope Analysis of Water Uptake Sources of Primary Forests in the Central Yunnan Karst Plateau

Ecosystems in the central of Yunnan karst plateau are very fragile due to thin soil layer and intensive infiltration capacity of rock fracture, which result in a very limited amount of water storage for plant uptake. Water retention in the soil zone and shallow fractured rock zone (subcutaneous) is a key factor for plant growth. Distinction of water sources taken by karst plants is a challenging task for botanists and hydrologists but is needed for ecosystem management. In this study, stable isotope analysis was used to investigate water sources for Cyclobalanopsis glaucoides primary forests at Shilin Geopark in Bajiang vally, central Yunnan of China. Proportions of water sources for plant uptake were determined by the δD and δ18O values of plant stem water, and water taken from soil layers and the subcutaneous zone. The analysis reveals that water was mainly taken from the soil layers and to less degree the subcutaneous zone as well. In dry seasons with scarce precipitation, plants in the primary forest were prone to take more water from subcutaneous zone and deeper layer of soil. Different species had different water use strategies, Cyclobalanopsis glaucoides took a larger proportional water from the deeper layer of soil, suggesting its deeper roots and wider range of shallower roots. However, Olea yunnanensis and Pistacia weinmannifolia extracted more percentage of water from the deeper soil water and subcutaneous water because of its deeper roots.

Stable Isotopic Study on Water Utilization Sources of &lt;i&gt;Pinus yunnanensis &lt;/i&gt;Plantations in the Central Yunnan Karst Plateau

In order to explain the water utilization mechanism of Pinus Yunnanensis plantations in the Central Yunnan Karst Plateau, SW China, and their adaptive strategies to arid karst habitat, the authors collected and analyzed the stable 18O isotope values of stem water of Pinus Yunnanensis in Bajiang valley, and their accompanying trees and bushes and their potential water sources. The IsoSource model was applied to compute the probable contribution of multiple potential water sources to total plant. The results show that in the ecosystem of Pinus Yunnanensis plantations, there exists significant evaporative isotopic fractionation during the process of hydraulic infiltration from precipitation to ground water and soil water and that of hydraulic redistribution in the soil profile. Water utilization positions and proportions of Pinus Yunnanensis and its accompanying trees and bushes vary from season to season, and they are evident competitors for water. During dry seasons, mature Pinus Yunnanensis uses 68.6% of 0-55cm soil water while the contribution of 30-110cm soil water and groundwater to the young Pinus Yunnanensis reaches 55.8% and 31.7% respectively. In rainy seasons, the use ratio of 0-55cm surface soil water by young Pinus Yunnanensis, Pistacia weinmannifolia and Rhododendron spiciferum are 63.1%, 56.3% and 86.2% respectively while the mature Pinus Yunnanensis uses rainfall, groundwater and fog droplets of canopy interception.

Differences in the responses of photosystem I and photosystem II of three tree species Cleistanthus sumatranus, Celtis philippensis and Pistacia weinmannifolia exposed to a prolonged drought in a tropical limestone forest

Drought stress can induce closure of stomata, thus leading to photoinhibition. The effects of prolonged severe drought under natural growing conditions on photosystem I (PSI), photosystem II (PSII) and cyclic electron flow (CEF) in drought-tolerant tree species are unclear. In spring 2010, southwestern China confronted severe drought that lasted several months. Using three dominant evergreen species, Cleistanthus sumatranus (Miq.) Muell. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae), Celtis philippensis Bl. (Ulmaceae) and Pistacia weinmannifolia J. Poisson ex Franch. (Anacardiaceae) that are native to a tropical limestone forest, we investigated the influence of this stress on PSI and PSII activities as well as light energy distribution in the PSII and P700 redox state. By the end of the drought period, predawn leaf water potential (Ψ(pd)) largely declined in each species, especially in C. sumatranus. Photosystem I activity strongly decreased in the three species, especially in C. sumatranus which showed a decrease of 65%. The maximum quantum yield of PSII after dark adaptation remained stable in P. weinmannifolia and C. philippensis but significantly decreased in C. sumatranus. Light response curves indicated that both linear electron flow and non-photochemical quenching were severely inhibited in C. sumatranus along with disappearance of CEF, resulting in deleterious excess light energy in PSII. We conclude that PSI is more sensitive than PSII to prolonged severe drought in these three drought-tolerant species, and CEF is essential for photoprotection in them.

锡矿山损毁林地人工植被恢复模式及生物多样性分析

在个旧锡矿山损毁林地上，选择具有典型代表性的人工恢复植被的不同配置模式，通过样地调查分析，提出了藏柏、火棘配置模式，加勒比松、头状四照花、藏柏配置模式，旱冬瓜、十大功劳配置模式，藏柏、清香木配置模式，藏柏、银荆配置模式，藏柏、北美红杉配置模式，旱冬瓜、麻栎、石楠配置模式，以及藏柏、旱冬瓜配置模式。各种配置模式林木生长状况存在一定的差异，总体上以藏柏生长最快。从不同配置模式来看，藏柏、清香木配置模式及藏柏、北美红杉配置模式物种多样性最好，物种多样性指数及均匀度指数均较高，反映出植被恢复效果较明显。 In the damaged forestland of Gejiu tin mine, some allocation models of typical representative artificial re- storing vegetation were selected, and through the sample investigation and analysis, the author proposed several kinds of allocation models: Tibetan cypress and Pyracantha; Pinus caribaea, Dendrobenthamia capitata and Tibetan cypress; Alnus nepalensis and Mahonia; Tibetan cypress and Pistacia weinmannifolia; Tibetan cypress and Silver wattle; Tibetan cypress and Sequoia sempervirens; Alnus nepalensis, Sawtooth oak and Calluna; Tibetan cypress and Alnus nepalensis. There existed some differences in forest growth status among these allocation models with the Tibetan cypress growing most rapidly on the whole. From the perspective of different allocation models, the species diversity of the allocation model of Tibetan cypress and Pistacia weinmannifolia and the allocation model of Tibetan cypress and Sequoia simper- virens shows the best, and their species diversity index and evenness index are higher, which could reflect the effect of vegetation restoration more obviously.

A Note on a Sclero-microphyllous Evengreen Broad-leaved ForestAssociation Olea ferruginea, Pistacia weinmannifolia in Lancang (Upper Mekong) River

采用法瑞地植物学派的样地调查法记录了澜沧江中上游河谷中一独特的硬叶小叶常绿阔叶林类型——锈鳞木樨榄、清香木群丛。该群丛由南向北分布于1300~1900m的河谷下部，对群落外貌、生活型与生长型、植物种类科属的组成、分布区类型等进行了分析。结果表明：（1） 群落结构简单，物种数平均为18种；（2） 生活型以高位芽植物居多，生长型以草本居多；（3） 群落中计有维管植物116种，隶属于39科，84属；（4） 植物科级、属级水平上均显示出了热带性质，植物区系表现出一定的古老性，反映了与古地中海硬叶小叶林的历史渊源。该植物群丛适应澜沧江干热-干暖河谷气候，分布区域狭窄，是一类值得重点保护和深入研究的植被类型。

Isolation and Characterization of Microsatellite Loci in Pistacia weinmannifolia (Anacardiaceae)

Fourteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated from the genomic DNA of Pistacia weinmannifolia, using the Fast Isolation by AFLP of Sequences Containing repeats (FIASCO) method, and screened on 12 individuals from each of two wild populations. The 14 polymorphic loci had an average of 4.1 alleles per locus varying from 1 to 9. The observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosities across the two populations ranged from 0.000 to 0.933 and from 0.000 to 0.906, respectively. Tests for departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and genotypic linkage disequilibrium (LD) were conducted for each of the two populations separately. It was found that no locus significantly deviated from HWE proportions and no significant LD was detected between loci (p < 0.001). In the test of cross-species utility, we successfully amplified nine (64.2%) of 14 loci in P. chinensis and four (28.6%) in P. mexicana. The relatively high level of polymorphism for these markers will facilitate further studies of gene flow, population structure and evolutionary history of P. weinmannifolia and its congeners.

Enhanced susceptibility of G6PD‐deficient human fibroblast to enterovirus 71 infection

Accumulating evidence suggests that cellular redox status plays an important role in regulating viral replication and infectivity. Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficient fibroblast has been shown to suffer higher oxidative stress than normal control part. To further delineate how oxidative stress may affect cellular susceptibility to viral infection, experiments were performed to compare the susceptibility of normal (HFF3) and G6PD-deficient (HFF1) cells to enterovirus71 (EV71) infection. After EV71 infection, both types of cells developed cytopathic effect. Using MTT assay, there was a significant difference in cell viability in both types of cells after 48h post-infection: cell viability of HFF1 was 38% of uninfected control whereas the viability of HFF3 was 52% of uninfected control. The amount of viral particles collected from HFF1 was 2 fold higher than that of HFF3 at 48h post-infection. In the immunofluorescence assay, virus production of HFF1 was much higher than that of HFF3. The level of the viral gene (3C) expression was increased by more than 2 folds in G6PD-deficient cells as compared to normal cells by quantitative PCR. The GSH/GSSG ratio in HFF1 was lower than HFF3. Furthermore ectopic expression of G6PD in the deficient cells increased their viability upon viral infection reduced viral replication and increased GSH/GSSG ratio. Moreover, pre-treatment antioxidant, such as Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) or Pistacia weinmannifolia (PW), was able to increase cell viability in both types of cells following EV71 infection. Taken together, these data support our hypothesis that G6PD-deficient cells are highly susceptible to EV71 infection and antioxidants treatment can reduce the loss of cell viability upon EV71 infection.

Isolation and identification of histamine-release inhibitors from Pistacia weinmannifolia J. Pisson ex. Franch

Seven histamine-release inhibitors were isolated from Pistacia weinmannifolia J. Pisson ex. Franch. They were identified as gallic acid, 3-O-galloylquinic acid, methyl gallate, ethyl gallate, penta-O-galloyl-β-d -glucopyranoside, myricetin 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside, and myricetin- 3-O-(3′′-O-galloyl)-α-l-rhamnopyranoside. These compounds suppressed the compound 48/80-induced histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells.

Antioxidant properties of two gallotannins isolated from the leaves of Pistacia weinmannifolia

Pistacia weinmannifolia J. Poisson ex Franch (Anacardiaceae) is a shrub or arbor widely found in Yunnan province of China and its leaves are used as traditional Chinese medicine by herbalists. The leaves of P. weinmannifolia are rich in phenolic compounds, among which two novel gallotannins, Pistafolin A and Pistafolin B, are identified. In the present investigation, the antioxidant efficiency of Pistafolin A and Pistafolin B in preventing lipid, protein and DNA from reactive oxygen species-mediated damage was studied. Both Pistafolin A and Pistafolin B inhibited the peroxyl-radical induced lipid peroxidation of l-alpha-phosphatidylcholine liposomes dose-dependently and prevented the bovine serum albumin from peroxyl-induced oxidative damage. Pistafolin A and Pistafolin B also inhibited copper (II)-1,10-phenanthroline complex-induced DNA oxidative damage. Both Pistafolin A and Pistafolin B scavenged the hydrophilic 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiozoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt-free radicals and the hydrophobic 1,1-dipheny-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals effectively, suggesting they may act as hydrogen donating antioxidants. The protective effects of the two gallotannins against oxidative damage of biomacromolecules were due to their strong free radical scavenging ability. Pistafolin A with three galloyl moieties showed stronger antioxidant ability than Pistafolin B with two galloyl moieties.

Scavenging of reactive oxygen species and prevention of oxidative neuronal cell damage by a novel gallotannin, Pistafolia A

Pistafolia A is a novel gallotannin isolated from the leaf extract of Pistacia weinmannifolia. In the present investigation, the ability of Pistafolia A to scavenge reactive oxygen species including hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anion was measured by ESR spin trapping technique. The inhibition effect on iron-induced lipid peroxidaiton in liposomes was studied. The protective effects of Pistafolia A against oxidative neuronal cell damage and apoptosis induced by peroxynitrite were also assessed. The results showed that Pistafolia A could scavenge both hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anion dose-dependently and inhibit lipid peroxidation effectively. In cerebellar granule cells pretreated with Pistafolia A, peroxynitrite-induced oxidative neuronal damage and apoptosis were prevented markedly. The antioxidant capacity of Pistafolia A was much more potent then that of the water-soluble analog of vitamin E, Trolox. The results suggested that Pistafolia A might be used as an effective natural antioxidant for the prevention and cure of neuronal diseases associated with the production of peroxynitrite and related reactive oxygen species.