Asparagus Research Articles

Anthracnose of asparagus caused by <i>Colletotrichum spaethianum</i> in Japan

In September 2018 in Hokkaido, Japan, large, oval-shaped lesions developed on asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) stems, similar to stem blight caused by Phomopsis asparagi. The associated fungus was identified as Colletotrichum spaethianum based on morphological and cultural characteristics and molecular analyses of ACT, CHS1, GAPDH, H3, ITS and TUB2 nucleotide sequences. Symptoms were reproduced after inoculation of asparagus stems with the isolates, which were reisolated from the inoculated, symptomatic stems. This is the first report of Colletotrichum spaethianum causing anthracnose of asparagus in Japan.

Roots and rhizomes of wild Asparagus: Nutritional composition, bioactivity and nanoencapsulation of the most potent extract

The nutritional composition and bioactive properties of roots and rhizomes of Asparagus stipularis were evaluated. Antioxidant activity of extracts obtained by infusion was evaluated using free radicals scavenging and reducing power methods. Porcine liver primary cell was used to check the hepatotoxicity of infusions. Results revealed that Asparagus samples are likely a source of nutrients, such as dietary fibre and essential fatty acids. HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS characterization of infusions allowed the identification and quantitation of 7 phenolic compounds, all hydroxycinnamoyl derivatives, with caffeic acid as the most abundant. Roots infusion contained the highest amounts of these compounds. It also exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in all assays, with EC50 values of 0.44 ± 0.01, 0.98 ± 0.03 and 0.64 ± 0.01 mg/mL for DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays, respectively, with no toxicity towards PLP2 primary cell cultures (GI50 > 400 μg/mL). PLGA nanoparticles loaded with root extract were prepared using solvent-evaporation double emulsion method. Nanoparticles size was about 260 nm and a polydispersity index around 0.1, with a zeta potential of about -36 mV, as well as a good encapsulation efficiency of approximately 83%. Their morphology was analysed by SEM and spherical polymeric nanoparticles with a smooth surface were observed. FTIR and DSC were also performed, which allowed corroborating the efficacy of the encapsulation and to confirm the production of a stable and robust system to load Asparagus extracts. The developed nanoparticles are expected to be used as delivery systems for bioactive compounds of A. stipularis and they could be used as an innovative dietary supplement.

Effects of Furrow Height and Amount of Manure Compost on the Growth, Yield, and Quality of Organically Grown Green Asparagus

A two-season field trial was carried out in the Upland Crop Experiment Field of the Faculty of Agronomy, Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) to assess the effects of three furrow heights (20, 35, and 50cm) and three manure compost levels (15, 25, and 35 tons ha-1) on the growth, yield, and quality of green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) grown organically. The experiments were arranged in a randomized completely block design (RCBD) with three replications. The results showed that the harvested yield was highest (11.3 and 25.1 quintals ha-1 in the 2019 autumn and 2020 spring season, respectively) in the treatment with a furrow height of 35cm and compost level of 35 tons ha-1 in both seasons, and explained by the increased spear diameters and number of spears per plant in this treatment when the furrow height and compost level were increased. Additionally, the chlorophyll content, water loss, and dry matter weight of the spears also increased when the furrow height and compost level increased. The obtained quality of the spears under organic management at the furrow height of 35 cm and compost level of 35 tons ha-1 was higher than the other treatments with higher reducing sugars, vitamin C, and Brix values, while the residue nitrate contents of all the treatments were lower than the allowed safety threshold.

Effects of Culture Conditions on the Antibacterial Activity of Streptomyces Spp. against Erwinia Spp. Causing Soft Rot Disease on Asparagus Officinalis

Erwinia is a genus of Enterobacteriacea containing mostly pathogens, which cause soft rot disease in many ornamental plants and crops, including Asparagus officinalis. Chemical treatments to control Erwinia have lost their attractiveness because of the development of resistant strains and the negative impacts on the environment and human health. Therefore, the study of biological controls of soft rot disease has gained great importance. There are several types of microorganisms that show activity against Erwinia spp. such as Pseudomonas fluorescence, Bacillus subtilis, and Streptomyces spp. Among them, Streptomyces spp. are found to be the most effective control agents. In this study, 64 isolates of Streptomyces were screened for their antibacterial activity against Erwinia spp. The results indicated that 18 isolates showed an antagonistic reaction against Erwinia spp. Among them, isolate D5.1 showed the highest inhibition activity. In addition, the morphological and antibacterial activities of isolate D5.1 grown in different conditions were also characterized.

Recognition of weeds at asparagus fields using multi-feature fusion and backpropagation neural network

In order to solve the problem of low recognition rates of weeds by a single feature, a method was proposed in this study to identify weeds in Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) field using multi-feature fusion and backpropagation neural network (BPNN). A total of 382 images of weeds competing with asparagus growth were collected, including 135 of Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., 138 of Conyza sumatrensis (Retz.) E. Walker, and 109 of Calystegia hederacea Wall. The grayscale images were extracted from the RGB images of weeds using the 2G-R-B factor. Threshold segmentation of the grayscale image of weeds was applied using Otsu method. Then the internal holes of the leaves were filled through the expansion and corrosion morphological operations, and other interference targets were removed to obtain the binary image. The foreground image was obtained by masking the binary image and the RGB image. Then, the color moment algorithm was used to extract weeds color feature, the gray level co-occurrence matrix and the Local Binary Pattern (LBP) algorithm was used to extract weeds texture features, and seven Hu invariant moment features and the roundness and slenderness ratio of weeds were extracted as their shape features. According to the shape, color, texture, and fusion features of the test samples, a weed identification model was built. The test results showed that the recognition rate of Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., Calystegia hederacea Wall. and Conyza sumatrensis (Retz.) E. Walker were 82.72% (color feature), 72.41% (shape feature), 86.73% (texture feature) and 93.51% (fusion feature), respectively. Therefore, this method can provide a reference for the study of weeds identification in the asparagus field. Keywords: weeds recognition, image processing, feature extraction, multi-feature fusion, BP neural network, asparagus field DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20211404.6135 Citation: Wang Y F, Zhang X D, Ma G X, Du X X, Shaheen N, Mao H P. Recognition of weeds at asparagus fields using multi-feature fusion and backpropagation neural network. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2021; 14(4): 190–198.

Leveraging histone modifications to improve genome annotations.

Accurate genome annotations are essential to modern biology; however, they remain challenging to produce. Variation in gene structure and expression across species, as well as within an organism, make correctly annotating genes arduous; an issue exacerbated by pitfalls in current in silico methods. These issues necessitate complementary approaches to add additional confidence and rectify potential misannotations. Integration of epigenomic data into genome annotation is one such approach. In this study, we utilized sets of histone modification data, which are precisely distributed at either gene bodies or promoters to evaluate the annotation of the Zea mays genome. We leveraged these data genome wide, allowing for identification of annotations discordant with empirical data. In total, 13,159 annotation discrepancies were found in Z. mays upon integrating data across three different tissues, which were corroborated using RNA-based approaches. Upon correction, genes were extended by an average of 2128 base pairs, and we identified 2529 novel genes. Application of this method to five additional plant genomes identified a series of misannotations, as well as identified novel genes, including 13,836 in Asparagus officinalis, 2724 in Setaria viridis, 2446 in Sorghum bicolor, 8631 in Glycine max, and 2585 in Phaseolous vulgaris. This study demonstrates that histone modification data can be leveraged to rapidly improve current genome annotations across diverse plant lineages.

Tandem Mass Spectrum Similarity-Based Network Analysis Using 13C-Labeled and Non-labeled Metabolome Data to Identify the Biosynthetic Pathway of the Blood Pressure-Lowering Asparagus Metabolite Asparaptine A.

The biosynthetic pathway of asparaptine, a naturally occurring inhibitor of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in vitro, is largely unknown in Asparagus officinalis. To determine which metabolites are involved in the pathway, we performed tandem mass spectrum similarity-based metabolome network analysis using 13C-labeled and non-labeled valine-fed asparagus calluses. We revealed that S-(2-carboxy-n-propyl)-cysteine as an intermediate and two new metabolites as asparaptine analogues, lysine- and histidine-type conjugates, are involved in the pathway. Asparaptine was therefore renamed asparaptine A (arginine type), and the two analogues were named asparaptines B (lysine type) and C (histidine type). Oral feeding of asparaptine A to a hypertensive mouse breed showed that this metabolite lowers both the blood pressure and heart rate within 2 h and the effect of asparaptine A wears off after 2 days. These results suggest that asparaptine A may not only have effects as an ACE inhibitor but also have β-antagonistic effects.

Asparagus officinalis Exhibits Anti-Tumorigenic and Anti-Metastatic Effects in Ovarian Cancer.

Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of female cancer death. Emerging evidence suggests that many dietary natural products have anti-tumorigenic activity, including that of asparagus officinalis. The current study aimed to assess the anti-tumorigenic and anti-metastatic effects of asparagus officinalis on serous ovarian cancer cell lines and a transgenic mouse model of high grade serous ovarian cancer. Asparagus officinalis decreased cellular viability, caused cell cycle G1 phase arrest and induced apoptosis in the OVCAR5 and SKOV3 cells. Induction of apoptosis and inhibition of cell proliferation was rescued by the pan-caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK, implying that its cytotoxic effects were mainly dependent on caspase pathways. Asparagus officinalis increased levels of ROS and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential with corresponding increases in PERK, Bip, Calnexin PDI and ATF4 in both cell lines. Treatment with asparagus officinalis also reduced ability of adhesion and invasion through epithelial–mesenchymal transition and reduction of VEGF expression. The combination of Asparagus officinalis with paclitaxel had synergistic anti-proliferative activity. Furthermore, Asparagus officinalis significantly inhibited tumor growth and reduced serum VEGF in a genetically engineered mouse model of ovarian cancer under obese and lean conditions, accompanied with a decrease in the expression of Ki67, VEGF and phosphorylated S6, and in an increase in phosphorylation of AMPK in the ovarian tumor tissues. Overall, our data provide a pre-clinical rationale for asparagus officinalis in the prevention and treatment of ovarian cancer as a novel natural product.

Best Management Practices to Alleviate Deep-Seated Compaction in Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) Interrows (UK)

Field operations associated with UK asparagus production (re-ridging and intensive foot and vehicular trafficking of the wheelings) can result in severe deep-seated compaction in interrows, impacting on crop health and productivity. In this project, we investigate the long-term efficacy of a range of Best Management Practices (BMPs) targeted at preventing or remediating soil compaction in asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) interrows as compared to Conventional practice. BMPs included (1) companion crops - Rye (Sereale cecale L.), Mustard (Sinapis alba L.), (2) interrow surface mulch applications (straw mulch and PAS 100 compost in combination with shallow soil disturbance (SSD)), (3) modifications of the conventional tillage practice (re-ridging (R) or not ridging (NR) and applying SSD or not applying SSD) and (4) a zero-tillage option. In general, companion cropping had no effect on soil compaction or water infiltration rates as compared to the Conventional practice. Application and incorporation of straw mulch or PAS 100 compost however significantly reduced soil compaction of the interrows to >0.45 m beyond the working depth of the subsoiler (0.25 m). Composts and mulches in combination with SSD significantly reduce deep-seated compaction of the interrows within 3 years of annual application. Further, Conventional practice equivalent treatment (Bare soil No-SSD R) was associated with significantly higher PR values as compared to the zero-tillage (Bare soil No-SSD NR). These findings show that the extremely high levels of deep-seated compaction in interrows, associated with re-ridging, foot and vehicular traffic can be alleviated using surface mulches in combination with SSD.

Morphological and Habitat Characteristics of Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) and Socio-Economic Structure of Producers

Asparagus officinalis L. (Asparagus) is a species that belongs to Liliaceae family, 300 species grow naturally on earth and 12 species of it grow naturally in Turkey. Generally, above-soil and under-soil parts of some of its different species are used as a diuretic, tonic, heart sedative, demulsan, antidiarrheal, antidisenteric, galactagogue, aphrodisiac, antispasmodic in traditional treatment. In addition to that it is also consumed as a food. To date various pharmacological studies were conducted on many types of that species. However, no comprehensive study has been made on Asparagus species, including anatomical, morphological habitat and productive characteristics. In this study, morphological features of Asparagus as a medical aromatic plant in spreading areas, its raising environment features, economy, socio-economic status of producers, and contributions of its production on both household and local economy have been examined based on Kastamonu case. As a result, Kastamonu district has wide range with respect to climate, which helps Asparagus plant being cultivated in appropriate growing environments, having potential to provide opportunity to generate high earnings. But producers do not have adequate expertise to cultivate and grow it, lack of any relevant training/education, so efficiency is low and it does not have the value it deserves.

Karyotype analysis in diploid and polyploid species of Iranian wild asparagus

Karyotype analysis in diploid and polyploid species of Iranian wild asparagus

Asparagus Vs Broccoli

Cancer preventing agent action of asparagus, broccoli and their juices was assessed. Asparagus demonstrated more prominent cell reinforcement movement than broccoli. Asparagus squeeze additionally had more prominent cancer prevention agent action than broccoli juice. Methanol and acetone concentrates of asparagus and broccoli had altogether more prominent cancer prevention agent action than their water extricates. Asparagus and broccoli separates, and in addition their juices, demonstrated no critical contrast in all out phenolics . Be that as it may, asparagus contained a bigger number of flavonoids than broccoli. The cancer prevention agent movement of asparagus and broccoli separates showed a direct association with their flavonoid [1]. Green asparagus that is Asparagus officinalis L., as a solid and perishable vegetable, is handled after collect to limit the decay of its physical and compound quality. In our examination, new asparagus was sanitized utilizing a few strategies, including a microwave-circled water mix warming framework, constrained high temp water warming and steam-warming in an answer. Rutin substance of asparagus handled by these strategies did not demonstrate critical distinction. However, cancer prevention agent action of asparagus after microwave-flowed water blend warming framework treatment was essentially more noteworthy than that handled by different techniques. In spite of the fact that the shear worry of asparagus lances was fundamentally diminished by eight times after disinfection, no critical distinction existed among the surfaces of asparagus handled by these strategies. Asparagus handled by microwave-flowed water blend warming framework demonstrated greener shading with negative esteem and more prominent tinge an incentive than did boiling water-and counter treated asparagus. In this way, asparagus disinfected by microwave-circled water blend warming framework demonstrated more noteworthy cancer prevention agent movement and greener shading than did asparagus handled by the ordinary strategies [2].

Potential inoculum sources of Fusarium species involved in asparagus decline syndrome and evaluation of soil disinfestation methods by qPCR protocols.

Asparagus decline syndrome (ADS), one of the most important diseases affecting asparagus crops, causes important yield losses worldwide. Fusarium proliferatum, F. oxysporum and F. redolens are among the main species associated with ADS. To explore their potential inoculum sources and the effectiveness of soil disinfestation practices for ADS management, molecular methods based on a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were developed. qPCR-based molecular tools demonstrated advantages in the sensitive and specific detection and quantification of fungal pathogens in comparison with less-accurate and time-consuming traditional culture methods. F. proliferatum, F. oxysporum and F. redolens could be specifically detected and accurately quantified in asparagus plants, soil and irrigation water collected from asparagus fields with ADS symptoms by means of the designed TaqMan qPCR protocols. Furthermore, these molecular tools were successfully applied for evaluation of the efficacy of diverse soil disinfestation treatments. Chemical fumigation with dazomet and biosolarization with pellets of Brassica carinata contributed to a significant reduction in the inoculum densities of the three Fusarium species in treated soils, which was correlated with production increases. The capability to accurately detect and quantify the main Fusarium species involved in ADS in plants, soil and water samples by means of qPCR will allow identification of high-risk fields that can be avoided or managed to reduce yield losses. Quantification of pathogen densities in the soil may also provide essential insights into the effectiveness of soil disinfestation methods for ADS management. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Biomedical potential of green synthesized silver nanoparticles from root extract of Asparagus officinalis

Biomedical potential of green synthesized silver nanoparticles from root extract of Asparagus officinalis

Genetic resources in asparagus: diversity and relationships in a collection from different origins and breeding status

ABSTRACT Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is a worldwide important vegetable. Assessing the genetic diversity and relationships in a germplasm collection is a key step in the design of breeding programmes. The aim of this work was to evaluate the genetic diversity in asparagus from a wide array of origins assessed by Sequence Related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) markers. Twenty-four accessions of A. officinalis from 13 different origins and one accession of A. pseudoscaber were considered. Sixteen combinations of SRAP primers were tested. A total of 329 bands were obtained (98.48% polymorphism). The average polymorphic information content was 0.20. Hierarchical clustering was carried out, the dendrogram was plotted with bootstrap p-values for the different branches and the Dice’s distance matrix was represented by a Principal Coordinates Analysis. It was not possible to establish a clear origin-related grouping. The reduced cycles of selection accomplished along with the contemporaneous plant breeding and the open-pollinated nature of the species, could have precluded a marked differentiation in the species related to origins or cultivated to wild status. The genetic base of asparagus is not as narrow as previously thought. The information of the genetic relationships among asparagus germplasm could be useful to delineate crosses in order to seek potential hybrid vigour.

Experimental studies on re-hydration of vacuum freeze-dried Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) with a hydrophilic substance

Vacuum freeze-drying is one of the best water removal methods, with final products of the highest quality. The solid-state of water during freeze-drying protects the primary structure and the product's shape with minimal volume reduction. As the leading quality problem of dehydrated green Asparagus, this experiment was to study the technique of improving the rehydration of dehydrated green Asparagus by adding a hydrophilic substance (Maltodextrin, sucrose, salt) and controlling two ways in the process of vacuum freeze-drying. The mixed solution was soaked at the rate of three different concentration ratios, i.e., 1 (10%), 2 (15%), and 3 (20%) for maltodextrin, sucrose, and salts, respectively, using the L9 orthogonal and two-factor comparison experiment. It was concluded that increasing the mass of the Asparagus samples decreased the convective heat transfer coefficient. The evolution of drying months in the range of 1.78 - 4.74 W/m2˚C was recorded for the mass of Asparagus samples. The results noted that to dry the Asparagus by vacuum freeze-dryer from 09:00 to 18:00 hour decreases the product's drying rate up to 0.011g.(H2O).g-1(d. m).cm-2.hr-1 and moisture level up to 8%. The study results noted that the pre-freezing condition was 23°C with the frozen time of 4 hours, which could remarkably improve the vacuum freeze-dried green asparagus rehydration. Finally, from the results, it was recommended that, from the actual production, to save energy, reduce costs; 23oC was better for the precooling temperature with the pre-freezing time was 4 hours for drying green Asparagus. Keywords: Green Asparagus; Hydrophilic Substance; Rehydration; Vacuum Freeze-Drying http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2021.100048

Development and diversity analysis of an hexaploid pre-breeding asparagus population with introgressions from wild relative species

The development of new asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) cultivars has been hindered by the lack of genetic diversity in the crop. The current study aims at generating novel plant material to widen the genetic base of the crop by using CWR (crop wild relatives). We have developed a hexaploid population of about 1000 plants with introgressions of four polyploid CWR species (A. maritimus, A. pseudoscaber, A. brachyphyllus and A. macrorrhizus). The population is the second generation from a first backcrossing using the landrace ‘Morado de Huétor’ as recurrent parent and was obtained in open pollination. The diversity of the population was analyzed by six EST-SSR (Expressed Sequence Tag-Simple Sequence Repeat) markers. A random sampling of 60 plants was used to estimate the genetic variability. The results were compared with data previously obtained from the parental collection, the landrace ‘Morado de Huétor’ and diploid current asparagus cultivars. The average PICm (polymorphic information content) value of the new population and ‘Morado de Huétor’ were similar (>0.8) and higher than the value observed in the diploid cultivars (0.61). At least 22.2% of the alleles detected in the hexaploid population were specific from the CWR species used in this study. Principal coordinate analyses (PCoA) revealed a clear genetic diversity differentiation between populations. The population of 1000 plants was evaluated for agronomic traits (earliness, stalk number, branching height and stalk thickness) for two years and we selected 80 plants to develop a breeding base population. Variation was significant for all traits (P<0.001). These 80 plants were also analyzed with the six EST-SSR markers and they conserve the variability present in the starting population. The results show an increase in the genetic variability and offer a new opportunity for asparagus improvement.

Evaluation of Physiological and Quality Parameters of Green Asparagus Spears Subjected to Three Treatments against the Decline Syndrome

Green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is a widely grown and consumed crop which provides high-level nutritional interest. In recent years, the decline syndrome in asparagus plantations has been rapidly augmenting. This syndrome causes the early death of whole plants, also negatively affecting the new replanting. Decline causes notable economic losses in the sector. The objective of this work was to verify the effect of different treatments against asparagus decline syndrome on the physiological parameters and nutritional quality of the spears. To meet the objective, four different treatments were applied to asparagus plots strongly affected by decline syndrome: (T1) untreated control soil, (T2) biofumigation with Brassica pellets, (T3) biofumigation with chicken manure pellets, and (T4) disinfestation of the soil with Dazomet. The cumulative yield and physiological and quality parameters of green asparagus spears were studied. Thus, malondialdehyde (MDA), photosynthetic pigments, glutathione (GSH), ascorbate (AsA), total phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanin, antioxidant test, mineral nutrients, and the amino acid profile were measured on asparagus spears. The results showed that the Brassica pellets and Dazomet treatments were the most effective against the damage caused by the decline syndrome. However, it would be necessary to monitor the evolution in the following years.

Neuroprotective Effects of Asparagus officinalis Stem Extract in Transgenic Mice Overexpressing Amyloid Precursor Protein.

To mimic Alzheimer's disease, transgenic mice overexpressing the amyloid precursor protein (APP) were used in this study. We hypothesize that the neuroprotective effects of ETAS®50, a standardized extract of Asparagus officinalis stem produced by Amino Up Co., Ltd. (Sapporo, Japan), are linked to the inhibition of the apoptosis cascade through an enhancement of the stress-response proteins: heat shock proteins (HSPs). APP-overexpressing mice (double-transgenic APP and PS1 mouse strains with a 129s6 background), ages 6-8 weeks old, and weighing 20-24 grams were successfully bred in our laboratory. The animals were divided into 5 groups. APP-overexpressing mice and wild-type (WT) mice were pretreated with ETAS®50 powder (50% elemental ETAS and 50% destrin) at 200 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg body weight. Saline, the vehicle for ETAS®50, was administered in APP-overexpressing mice and WT mice. ETAS®50 and saline were administered by gavage daily for 1 month. Cognitive assessments, using the Morris Water Maze, demonstrated that memory was recovered following ETAS®50 treatment as compared to nontreated APP mice. At euthanization, the brain was removed and HSPs, amyloid β, tau proteins, and caspase-3 were evaluated through immunofluorescence staining with the appropriate antibodies. Our data indicate that APP mice have cognitive impairment along with elevated amyloid β, tau proteins, and caspase-3. ETAS®50 restored cognitive function in these transgenic mice, increased both HSP70 and HSP27, and attenuated pathogenic level of amyloid β, tau proteins, and caspsase-3 leading to neuroprotection. Our results were confirmed with a significant increase in HSP70 gene expression in the hippocampus.

A plant-based medicinal food inhibits the growth of human gastric carcinoma by reversing epithelial\u2013mesenchymal transition via the canonical Wnt/\u03b2-catenin signaling pathway

BackgroundNatural products, especially those with high contents of phytochemicals, are promising alternative medicines owing to their antitumor properties and few side effects. In this study, the effects of a plant-based medicinal food (PBMF) composed of six medicinal and edible plants, namely, Coix seed, Lentinula edodes, Asparagus officinalis L., Houttuynia cordata, Dandelion, and Grifola frondosa, on gastric cancer and the underlying molecular mechanisms were investigated in vivo.MethodsA subcutaneous xenograft model of gastric cancer was successfully established in nude mice inoculated with SGC-7901 cells. The tumor-bearing mice were separately underwent with particular diets supplemented with three doses of PBMF (43.22, 86.44, and 172.88 g/kg diet) for 30 days. Tumor volumes were recorded. Histopathological changes in and apoptosis of the xenografts were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling staining, respectively. Serum levels of TNF-α, MMP-2, and MMP-9 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mRNA expression levels of β-catenin, GSK-3β, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, MMP-2/9, Snail, Bax, Bcl-2, Caspase-3/9, and Cyclin D1 were evaluated via real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The protein expression levels of GSK-3β, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and Ki-67 were determined by immunohistochemistry staining.ResultsPBMF treatment efficiently suppressed neoplastic growth, induced apoptosis, and aggravated necrosis in the xenografts of SGC-7901 cells. PBMF treatment significantly decreased the serum levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and significantly increased that of TNF-α. Furthermore, PBMF treatment notably upregulated the mRNA expression levels of GSK-3β, E-cadherin, Bax, Caspase-3, and Caspase-9 but substantially downregulated those of β-catenin, N-cadherin, MMP-2, MMP-9, Snail, and Cyclin D1 in tumor tissues. The Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was upregulated at the mRNA level. Moreover, PBMF treatment remarkably increased the protein expression levels of GSK-3β and E-cadherin but notably reduced those of Ki-67 and N-cadherin in tumor tissues.ConclusionsThe PBMF concocted herein exerts anti-gastric cancer activities via epithelial–mesenchymal transition reversal, apoptosis induction, and proliferation inhibition. The underlying molecular mechanisms likely rely on suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.