Selective recovery of rosmarinic and carnosic acids from rosemary leaves under ultrasound- and microwave-assisted extraction procedures

Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) are currently amongst the foremost green techniques for accelerating extraction processes. Several methods for the efficient recovery of the phenolic compounds from rosemary leaves have so far been proposed, but little data are available on the use of UAE and MAE. The aim of this work is to investigate the efficiency and selectivity of these techniques in recovering fractions of specific phenolic compounds from dried rosemary leaves using solvents that are suitable for food applications. UAE has been carried out by means of a probe system equipped with a titanium horn working at 19.5 kHz (140 W). MAE has been performed in a closed multimode reactor under N₂ (20 bar) at 100 °C. All obtained extracts were dissolved in a defined solvent volume and the solutions were directly analyzed using a combination of the HPLC-DAD-MS and TOF techniques. MAE and UAE in ethanol and acetone dramatically increased phenol yield (more than three times) as compared to more traditional solid–liquid extraction processes. In terms of selectivity, remarkably high rosmarinic acid content (6.8% of the dried extract) was obtained in ethanol under ultrasound (US). Even more impressive is the selectivity of UAE in n-hexane which gave the highest carnosic acid content, up to 13% of the dried extract. In conclusion, non-conventional energy sources and, in particular, high-intensity US have proven themselves to be rapid, efficient, and selective techniques for rosemary leaf extraction and provide fractions with high rosmarinic and carnosic acid contents.     

莲(Nelumbo nucifera)叶片结构的光镜和扫描电镜的观察

本文报道了莲的浮叶和立叶两种不同生态型叶的表面特征及解剖结构。莲的气孔器主要分布在上表皮,下表皮的则为零星分布。莲的气孔器类型多,表面结构复杂,有形态相近的六种类型,但孔口普遍呈开放状态。集中在莲鼻位置及散生在叶缘的排水器,其水孔形状与气孔器的孔口极为类似,彼     

Naturally Available Flavonoid Aglycones as Potential Antiviral Drug Candidates against SARS-CoV-2

Flavonoids are important secondary plant metabolites that have been studied for a long time for their therapeutic potential in inflammatory diseases because of their cytokine-modulatory effects. Five flavonoid aglycones were isolated and identified from the hydrolyzed aqueous methanol extracts of Anastatica hierochuntica L., Citrus reticulata Blanco, and Kickxia aegyptiaca (L.) Nabelek. They were identified as taxifolin (1), pectolinarigenin (2), tangeretin (3), gardenin B (4), and hispidulin (5). These structures were elucidated based on chromatographic and spectral analysis. In this study, molecular docking studies were carried out for the isolated and identified compounds against SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) compared to the co-crystallized inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro (α-ketoamide inhibitor (KI), IC₅₀ = 66.72 µg/mL) as a reference standard. Moreover, in vitro screening against SARS-CoV-2 was evaluated. Compounds 2 and 3 showed the highest virus inhibition with IC₅₀ 12.4 and 2.5 µg/mL, respectively. Our findings recommend further advanced in vitro and in vivo studies of the examined isolated flavonoids, especially pectolinarigenin (2), tangeretin (3), and gardenin B (4), either alone or in combination with each other to identify a promising lead to target SARS-CoV-2 effectively. This is the first report of the activity of these compounds against SARS-CoV-2.     

三七叶甙制备抗癌活性成分20(R)-人参皂甙-Rh2和人参皂甙Rg3

人参皂甙-Rh2(ginsenoside Rh2)和Rg3是从人参中分离得到的具有抗癌活性的四环三萜类原人参二醇型低糖链皂甙单体。其中,以人参皂甙为主要成分的抗癌新药Rg3参—胶囊已获国家药品监督管理局颁发的中药一类新药证书。皂甙类成分要从植物中分离困难。为了得到某些活性     

Chemical and Mechanical Characterization of Licorice Root and Palm Leaf Waste Incorporated into Poly(urethane-acrylate) (PUA)

A poly(urethane-acrylate) polymer (PUA) was synthesized, and a sufficiently high molecular weight starting from urethane-acrylate oligomer (UAO) was obtained. PUA was then loaded with two types of powdered ligno-cellulosic waste, namely from licorice root and palm leaf, in amounts of 1, 5 and 10%, and the obtained composites were chemically and mechanically characterized. FTIR analysis of final PUA synthesized used for the composite production confirmed the new bonds formed during the polymerization process. The degradation temperatures of the two types of waste used were in line with what observed in most common natural fibers with an onset at 270 °C for licorice waste, and at 290 °C for palm leaf one. The former was more abundant in cellulose (44% vs. 12% lignin), whilst the latter was richer in lignin (30% vs. 26% cellulose). In the composites, only a limited reduction of degradation temperature was observed for palm leaf waste addition and some dispersion issues are observed for licorice root, leading to fluctuating results. Tensile performance of the composites indicates some reduction with respect to the pure polymer in terms of tensile strength, though stabilizing between data with 5 and 10% filler. In contrast, Shore A hardness of both composites slightly increases with higher filler content, while in stiffness-driven applications licorice-based composites showed potential due to an increase up to 50% compared to neat PUA. In general terms, the fracture surfaces tend to become rougher with filler introduction, which indicates the need for optimizing interfacial adhesion.     

基于优化面积光谱指数的玉米叶片叶绿素值估测

综合使用光谱技术对作物养分进行实时、有效诊断,有助于作物的精准管理、保障产量和减少环境污染,提高肥料利用率,并且为定量估测作物生化组分状况提供了一种新的途径.光谱指数是进行作物叶片叶绿素实时估测的重要指标,然而由于受到环境条件及内在生化成分的影响,估测结果不尽满意.为了进一步提高光谱指数在估测作物叶片叶绿素含量时的抗干...     

Grubbs Catalysts Immobilized on Merrifield Resin for Metathesis of Leaf Alcohols by using a Convenient Recycling Approach

Three new types of heterogeneous catalysts were prepared using a facile approach by the immobilization of Grubbs catalysts on PEGylated Merrifield resin. One of the immobilized catalysts was more efficient than the free catalyst for the metathesis of leaf alcohols in conversion and selectivity and was reused repeatedly (up to 5 cycles) with only a slight loss of activity (10.5 %). The long-chain PEGylated linker provided an appropriate distance between the resin and the catalytic center so that the ruthenium catalysts acted as the free catalyst.     

基于高光谱分析的玉米叶片氮含量分层诊断研究

为了明确不同生育时期进行玉米氮素营养诊断的叶片层位,建立准确稳健的玉米氮素营养诊断模型,以达到合理追施氮肥,提高氮肥利用率的目的。试验采用单因素盆栽试验设计,以玉米（郑单958）为研究对象,应用高光谱技术,分析了不同氮营养水平下不同生育时期不同层位玉米叶片的氮含量分布和变化规律及光谱响应特征;并依据叶片氮含量与光谱反射率的相关关系,叶片氮含量与全波段(400～2 000 nm)任意两两波段组合构建的比值光谱指数(RSI)的回归关系,初步确定了不同生育时期进行氮素营养高光谱诊断的目标叶片,筛选出最优的比值光谱指数,建立了叶片氮素含量估算模型。结果表明：玉米叶片氮含量：上层>中层>下层;随着玉米的生长,在低氮条件下上层叶片氮含量呈先减少后增加（追肥）再减少趋势,在高氮条件下呈减少趋势,中下层叶片氮含量呈递减趋势。六叶期下层玉米叶片光谱反射率敏感范围较大,相关性较强;九叶期和灌浆期上层玉米叶片的光谱反射率敏感范围较广,相关性较强;开花吐丝期中层叶片的光谱反射率敏感范围较大,相关性较强。六叶期选取下层叶作为诊断目标叶,选取最佳比值光谱指数RSI(1 811, 1 842)建立线性估算模型,九叶期和灌浆期选取上层叶片作为诊断目标叶,选取的最佳比值光谱指数分别为RSI(720, 557),RSI(600, 511)建立线性估算模型,开花吐丝期选取中层叶片作为诊断目标叶,选取比值光谱指数RSI(688, 644)建立线性估算模型。研究结果可为快速准确地利用光谱技术进行玉米叶片氮素营养诊断提供理论依据。     

高光谱成像的马铃薯叶片含水率分布可视化

为了快速检测马铃薯叶片的水分含量,并探究受到干旱胁迫时叶片含水率变化情况,利用高光谱成像对马铃薯叶片含水率进行检测和可视化研究。采集71个叶片,用烘干法对叶片水分梯度进行控制,共得到355个样本。使用高光谱分选仪器采集叶片862.9~1 704.2 nm(256个波长)的光谱成像数据,采用称重法测量含水率。利用Sample set partitioning based on joint X-Y distance(SPXY)算法将总样本按照2∶1的比例划分为建模集(240个样本)和验证集(115个样本)。对采集的数据进行光谱特征分析,本文分别用CA和RF两种算法,各筛选得到15个特征波长。基于CA筛选出相关系数高于0.96的15个波长分别为1 406.82,1 410.12,1 403.62,1 413.32,1 416.62,1 419.82,1 400.32,1 423.12,1 426.32,1 429.62,1 432.82,1 436.12,1 439.32,1 442.52和1 445.8 nm。基于RF算法筛选被选概率高于0.3的15个特征波长,按照被选择概率值从大到小排列,分别为1 071.62,1 041.12,1 222.52,1 465.22,1 397.02,1 449.02,1 034.32,1 523.22,976.42,1 172.52,979.82,1 165.82,1 037.72,1 426.32和869.8 nm。用CA和RF算法筛选到的特征波长建立PLSR模型,分别记为CA-PLSR模型和RF-PLSR模型。利用高精度模型检测结果,对马铃薯叶片含水率进行可视化分析,首先计算马铃薯叶片图像每个像素点的含水率,得到灰度图像,然后对灰度图像进行伪彩色变换,绘制出叶片含水率可视化彩色图像。为了体现马铃薯叶片烘干处理中含水率变化进程,用HSV彩色模型对样本叶片的伪彩色图像进行分割,获得分割图像结果,显示出在某含水率区间的叶片面积比例。结果显示,CA算法选取的15个波长均在1 400.3~1 450.0 nm范围内,CA-PLSR模型的建模精度(R2_c)为0.975 5、建模集均方根误差(RMSEC)为2.81%,验证集精度(R2_v)为0.933 2、验证集均方根误差(RMSEV)为2.31%。RF算法选取的特征波长分布范围较CA法选取范围广,具有局部“峰谷”特性,且RF-PLSR模型的建模集精度(R2_c)为0.983 2、RMSEC为2.32%,验证集精度(R2_v)为0.947 1、RMSEV为2.15%。选取RF-PLS模型计算马铃薯每个像素点的含水率,得到伪彩色变换图像,观察可知随着烘干时间的增加含水率逐渐下降;并能够从叶片结构角度看到,随着水分胁迫的加强,叶片从边缘开始失水,逐渐向叶片中间蔓延,其中叶茎和叶脉的含水率较其他部位高。计算得到叶片伪彩色图像中含水率大于90%,80%和70%的像素点占整个叶片图像的比例。利用高光谱成像技术可以实现马铃薯叶片的含水率检测与分布可视化表达,为监测马铃薯生长状况以及叶片含水率分析提供新的理论根据。     

甜瓜尾孢叶斑病的高光谱成像检测

农作物生长发育过程中经常会遭到病虫害等外界因素侵染,如果不能实施有效的监测诊断和科学的防治,极易引起农药喷洒不当或过量,不仅会影响作物的产量和种植户的经济效益,还会造成严重的环境污染。近年在广西大棚厚皮甜瓜上发生了一种严重的由瓜类尾孢（Cercospora citrullina）引起的甜瓜叶斑病,导致甜瓜减产和种植户的经济损失。故此应用高光谱成像开展甜瓜叶片的尾孢叶斑病检测,获取健康甜瓜叶片和受瓜类尾孢感染的具有不同病变程度的甜瓜叶片在380~1 000和900~1 700 nm的高光谱图像,选取感兴趣区域并获取相应的平均光谱反射率,比较发现健康叶片和不同病变程度叶片染病区域的平均反射率差异显著。在540 nm处附近,健康叶片和病变程度轻微的叶片的光谱具备波峰形态,随着病变程度增加,波峰逐渐消失;在700~750 nm处附近,叶片反射率曲线急剧上升,出现绿色植物光谱曲线显著的“红边效应”特征;750~900 nm范围,健康叶片与轻微病变区域的光谱反射率变化趋于平稳,而其他病变区域的反射率呈上升趋势,且健康叶片的反射率高于病变区域,反射率随病变程度增加而下降,这一变化规律一直持续到近红外波段的900~1 350 nm范围。运用主成分分析、最小噪声分离法观察叶片早期病变的特征,经主成分分析和最小噪声分离法处理后,特别是对于早期病变,样本受感染后发病的区域更为明显。基于高光谱图像提取的前三个主成分得分绘制三维散点图,虽然不同病变程度的部分样本有重叠,但病变样本与健康样本的分布区分明显。应用K-近邻法和支持向量机方法建立叶片病变判别模型,结果显示：KNN模型对健康样本测试集判别率为98.7%,病变样本的判别率随病变程度加重而逐渐升高;对病变程度较轻样本,支持向量机模型相比于KNN模型而言,判别正确率更高、分类效果更好;总体上,高光谱图像对健康样本的判别率较高（>97%）,可用于健康样本与病变样本的识别,但对不同病变程度的区分效果欠佳。研究结果表明,高光谱成像可用于甜瓜尾孢叶斑病的检测,对不同病变程度的区分效果仍有待提高。