Influence of wilt infection on the gossypol pigments of seeds and roots of a cotton plant of the variety Tashkent-1

A study has been made of the gossypol pigments of the seeds and roots of a cotton plant of the variety Tashkent-1 infected with wilt in comparison with a healthy plant. The amount of gossypol in the infected plant was lower than in the healthy plant. In the diseased plant, gossypurpurin was concentrated in the roots, and in the healthy plant it was concentrated in the seeds. Gossypol possessing optical activity was detected in the seeds and roots of both the healthy and the diseased plants.Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances, Uzbek SSR Academy of Sciences, Tashkent. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 63–66, January–February, 1989.     

Multilabeled classification approach to find a plant source for terpenoids

Recently, we have built a classification model that is capable of assigning a given sesquiterpene lactone (STL) into exactly one tribe of the plant family Asteraceae from which the STL has been isolated. Although many plant species are able to biosynthesize a set of peculiar compounds, the occurrence of the same secondary metabolites in more than one tribe of Asteraceae is frequent. Building on our previous work, in this paper, we explore the possibility of assigning an STL to more than one tribe (class) simultaneously. When an object may belong to more than one class simultaneously, it is called multilabeled. In this work, we present a general overview of the techniques available to examine multilabeled data. The problem of evaluating the performance of a multilabeled classifier is discussed. Two particular multilabeled classification methods-cross-training with support vector machines (ct-SVM) and multilabeled k-nearest neighbors (ML-kNN)-were applied to the classification of the STLs into seven tribes from the plant family Asteraceae. The results are compared to a single-label classification and are analyzed from a chemotaxonomic point of view. The multilabeled approach allowed us to (1) model the reality as closely as possible, (2) improve our understanding of the relationship between the secondary metabolite profiles of different Asteraceae tribes, and (3) significantly decrease the number of plant sources to be considered for finding a certain STL. The presented classification models are useful for the targeted collection of plants with the objective of finding plant sources of natural compounds that are biologically active or possess other specific properties of interest.     

On-Demand Release of Urea From a Cellulosic Hydrogel Using a Sprinkler Based Irrigation (SBI) Model

In this work, epichlorohydrin (Ech) crosslinked cellulose hydrogels have been prepared and loaded with urea (Ur) for controlled release as a fertilizer. A detailed study of swelling behavior of these hydrogels and their urea releasing capacity has been carried out under various experimental conditions. The dynamic swelling and release data has been applied on various kinetic models. Finally, using a novel Sprinkler Based Irrigation (SBI) model, a model plant has been irrigated with water in the presence of urea-loaded hydrogel. It was found that plants, irrigated in the presence of urea-loaded hydrogel exhibited a better growth as compared to the control plant sample.     

Operational experience of a commercial scale plant of electron beam purification of flue gas

A commercial scale plant using electron beam irradiation was constructed to clean the flue gas from a coal fired thermal power plant at Chengdu in China. Operations began in September 1997 and the plant achieved its design performance with the satisfactory recovery of by-product fertilizer for agricultural use. Another commercial plant is now under construction at Nagoya, Japan and the operation will be started in November, 1999.     

Pectin, a versatile polysaccharide present in plant cell walls

Pectin or pectic substances are collective names for a group of closely associated polysaccharides present in plant cell walls where they contribute to complex physiological processes like cell growth and cell differentiation and so determine the integrity and rigidity of plant tissue. They also play an important role in the defence mechanisms against plant pathogens and wounding. As constituents of plant cell walls and due to their anionic nature, pectic polysaccharides are considered to be involved in the regulation of ion transport, the porosity of the walls and in this way in the control of the permeability of the walls for enzymes. They also determine the water holding capacity. The amount and composition of pectic molecules in fruits and vegetables and other plant produce strongly determine quality parameters of fresh and processed food products. Pectin is also extracted from suitable agro-by-products like citrus peel and apple pomace and used in the food industry as natural ingredients for their gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties. Some pectins gain more and more interest for their health modulating activities. Endogenous as well as exogenous enzymes play an important role in determining the pectic structures present in plant tissue, food products, or ingredients at a given time. In this paper functional and structural characteristics of pectin are described with special emphasis on the structural elements making up the pectin molecule, their interconnections and present models which envisage the accommodation of all structural elements in a macromolecule. Attention is also given to analytical methods to study the pectin structure including the use of enzymes as analytical tools.     

Organic micropollutants in the sewage from a phenoxyalkanoic acid production plant after biological treatment in a municipal trickling filters plant

The environmentally hazardous organic substances in the waste water from the manufacture of chlorophenoxyalkanoic acids have been identified and semiquantified before and after passing through a biological treatment plant for municipal sewage, the secondary effluent of which is discharged into a marine ecosystem. The organics belong to three groups: (i) chlorophenols; (ii) chlorophenoxyalkanoic acids; and (iii) chlorinated neutrals. The removal of chlorophenols and phenoxyalkanoic acids was shown to be good, with a 90% overall reduction of chlorinated substances in the sewage passing through the treatment plant. The lowest reduction occurred for the polychlorinated compounds. Two chlorobenzofurans among the chlorinated neutrals were preliminarily identified.     

Plant pathogen recognition as a natural, original and simple model for chemogenomics: a brief overview of cell-based assays to screen for peptides acting as plant defense activators

As plants lack a circulatory system and adaptive immune system, they have evolved their own defense systems distinct from animals, in which each plant cell is capable of defending itself from pathogens. Plants induce a number of defense responses, which are triggered by a variety of molecules derived from pathogenic microorganisms, referred to as microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), including peptides, proteins, lipopolysaccharide, beta-glucan, chitin, and ergosterol. The interaction between plants and chemicals in the context of plant defense represents a "natural" and simple model for chemogenomics, at the intersection between chemical and biological diversities. For protection of crop plants from diseases, it has been shown to be effective to stimulate the plant immunity by chemical compounds, the so-called "plant defense activators". Combinatorial chemistry techniques can be applied to the search for novel plant defense activators, but it is essential to establish an efficient and reliable screening system suitable for library screening. For studies of the plant immune system, it is difficult to use isolated proteins as biological targets because the receptors for MAMP recognition are largely unknown and even the receptors identified so far are transmembrane proteins. Therefore, screening for novel peptides acting on MAMP receptors from combinatorial libraries must rely on a solution-phase assay using cells as the biological targets. In this review, we introduce the cell-based lawn format assay for identification of peptides acting as plant defense activators from combinatorial peptide libraries. The requirements and limitations in constructing the screening system using combinatorial libraries in the studies of plant sciences are also discussed.     

Antioxidants and a new germacrane sesquiteroene from Carissa spinarum

A new germacrane derivative, care none (1) was isolated from the stems of a well-known medicinal plant, Carissa spinarum L. together with a new ester, 3'-(4'-methoxyphenyl)-3-oxo-ropionyl hexadecanoate (2). Their structures were established using 1D, 2D NMR spectroscopic and synthetic methods. The chloroform extract of the plant displayed strong antioxidant (DPPH) activity. Several other known compounds were also isolated for the first time from this active extract. The antioxidant activity of major lignans was studied.     

A Study of Nutrient Recycling in a Plant - Soil System Using NAA

To understand how nutrients are recycled in a particular soil - plant system, we have analyzed the kinetics of the elements Na, Mg, K, Ca, Mn, and Br throughout the life cycle of the plant. The plant sample was collected at 6 different stages of its growth. The effect of V (100 µM) on the element recycling system was also analyzed. The amount of the elements in each tissue of the plant, root, stem, petiole, leaf, and seed, were then determined by neutron activation analysis. The total elemental uptake rapidly increased when the plant developed from the juvenile to the adult phase. More than half of the Mg and Mn in cotyledon was transported to the younger leaves before the cotyledon was shed. From the pattern of movement of each element in plant tissue we have constructed an element recycling model in the soil-plant system. Based on the model, it was found that the amount of K to be a limiting factor for the recycling activity in the system.     

Studies in biological excretion of inhaled plutonium in the case of a few occupational workers in a fuel reprocessing plant

A power reactor fuel reprocessing plant is in operation at Tarapur. The various processes involved in the plant are: fuel rod cutting, dissolution in nitric acid, separation of plutonium, and handling of separated plutonium. The chemical form of plutonium could be nitrate, TBP complex, or oxide depending upon the nature of the process involved. Possible internal exposure to plant personnel occurs mainly by inhalation and occasionally through a contaminated wound. Occupational workers are regularly monitored for internal contamination by urinary excretion analysis as well as by in-vivo lung counting. This paper presents a follow up study of plutonium elimination in four inhalation exposure cases.     

Antioxidative and anticarcinogenic activities of methylpheophorbide a,isolated from wheat grass (Triticum aestivum Linn.)

Methylphophorbide a (MPa) has been isolated from the ethanol extract of the wheat grass plant. Its antioxidative efficacy is evaluated by hydroxyl radical scavenging activities and reducing capacity which are significantly up regulated in comparison with aqueous extract of the plant. The compound shows iron-binding capacity where the Fe²⁺ binds with MPa by two types of binding patterns with dissociation constants 157.17 and 27.89. It has antioxidative and cytotoxic effects on HeLa and Hep G2 cells. The cancerous cell survivability decreases with increasing concentration of MPa. These findings have provided evidence for the traditional use of the wheat grass plant in the treatment of cancers, oxidative stress and iron overloaded disorders.     

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with a sample deposition interface as a quantitative detector in size-exclusion chromatography

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography was developed to analyze plant hormones including gibberellic acid, abscisic acid, indole-3-acetic acid, alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, kinetin-6-furfurylaminopurine and N6-benzyladenine. The influences of some crucial parameters including buffer concentration, pH value, micelle concentration and applied voltage on electrophoretic separation were investigated. Under optimum conditions (50 mM borate as the running buffer containing 50 mM sodium dodecylsulfate, pH 8.0; separation voltage: -15 kV; injection: hydrodynamic injection, 5 s at 50 mbar; temperature: 25 degrees C), a complete separation of seven plant hormones was accomplished within 30 min. Emphasis was placed on improving detection sensitivity in order to detect small amounts of hormones in plant tissue. Multiple wavelength detection and expanded bubble cell capillary were used with enrichment factors of 2 and 3, respectively. In addition, an on-line concentration method of large volume sample stacking was designed. Enrichment factors of up to approximately 10-600 were achieved for these hormones with detection limits down to 0.306 ng/ml. The method was successfully applied to analyzing abscisic acid in flowers of transgenic tobacco.     

Optimization of cyanide elimination from an industrial wastewater on a pilot plant scale

A pilot plant scale reactor was modelled and assembled to experimentally study the cyanide elimination process. The process was performed by using Ca(OCl)2, Cl2 and H2O2. The elimination was optimized at 25 degrees C for time of reaction, pH and amount of oxidant in a pilot plant scale reactor with synthetic solutions. Moreover some tests were carried out by using a real effluent deriving from a gold production industry.     

Monitoring and control of biological removal of phosphorus and nitrogen by flow-injection analysers in a municipal pilot-scale waste-water treatment plant

A flow-injection system is used for monitoring and control of a biological waste-water treatment plant with biological removal of phosphate and nitrate. The waste-water treatment plant is an activated sludge type on a pilot scale, with municipal waste water as the influent. The flow-injection system monitors the concentrations of phosphate, ammonia and nitrate in four places: in the inlet, in the outlet of the anaerobic pretreatment tank, in one of the aeration tanks and in the outlet of the plant. Sampling is carried out via a cross-flow filter system, based on an ultra-filtration membrane. The analysers employ highly pulsating, single-piston liquid chromatographic pumps. Synchronization of injection time and pump pulses eliminates the need for pulse-damping devices and ensures high reproducibility. The chemical methods are based on classical colorimetric methods. The measurement system has been designed with emphasis on long-term stability, low reagent consumption and minimum maintenance. To maintain stable, low flow-rates, on-line degassing has been installed for each reagent. Further, on-line standard calibration is being used to compensate for drift in the sensitivity of the analysers. The system is controlled by a PC, programmed in ASYST. The calibrated data is fed to a programmable logic controller (PLC), which also controls the pilot plant. A supervisory PC, programmed in Factory Link, stores and presents data. The measurements will be used for studies of different control strategies for the plant, e.g., rule-based control.     

Echiofruzine, a novel naringenin diglycoside from Echiochilon fruticosum growing in Tunisia

The aerial parts of the Tunisian plant Echiochilon fruticosum yielded a novel flavonol diglycoside: naringenin-5-O-beta-D-glycopyranoside-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, named Echiofruzine (1), together with the known compounds vomifoliol-9-O-beta-D-glucopyraroside (2), 1-oxo-alpha-ionyl-9-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3) and 1-O-[beta-D-xylopyranosyl(1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl] eugenol (4), described for the first time in the indicated plant. The structures of the four isolated compounds were established on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence.     

Milk-clotting activity of cucumisin,a plant serine protease from melon fruit

Cucumisin (EC 3.4.21.25) isolated from prince melon fruit is a plant serine protease. Its milk-clotting activity was compared with plant cysteine proteases such as papain (EC 3.4.22.2) and ficain (EC 3.4.22.3). Cucumisin was more stable than papain under the condition of pH 7.1, 37‡C for 24 h. The milk-clotting activity of cucumisin was the same to that of papain and was half value of that of ficain.     

Phytochemistry in the microgram domain - a LC-NMR perspective

Plants represent an extraordinary reservoir of novel molecules and there is currently a resurgence of interest in the vegetable kingdom as a possible source of new lead compounds for introduction into therapeutical screening programs. In order to discover potential new bioactive natural products, the dereplication of crude plant extracts performed prior to isolation work is of crucial importance for avoiding the isolation of a known constituent. In this respect, chemical screening strategies have been developed using hyphenated techniques (LC/UV-DAD, LC-MS and LC-NMR). In our laboratory, these techniques have been fully integrated into the isolation process and are used for the chemical screening of crude plant extracts in complement with on-line or at-line bioassays. LC-UV-MS is used as a first dereplication step in combination with UV and MS databases, while LC-NMR is performed in a second step for de novo on-line structure determination. This approach enables the partial or the complete on-line identification of natural products in complex matrices such as crude plant extracts. These methods also give a unique possibility to study unstable compounds, which rapidly degrade or which are not separable at a preparative level.In the multi-hyphenated approach used (hypernation), LC-NMR plays a key role since it provides the most detailed structural information. The relatively low sensitivity of this technique, however, requires that strategies for high loading of plant extracts are developed and compromises for solvent selection have to be made. For more demanding experiments, at-line strategies based on the microfractionation of the LC-peak of interest and recording of spectra in fully deuterated solvents in microflow probes represent a promising alternative.     

植物油中苯并芘含量测定研究

为建立固相萃取-液相色谱法测定植物油中苯并芘的检验方法,将植物油中的苯并芘用中性氧化铝固相萃取小柱萃取和净化后用反相色谱柱分离,荧光检测器进行了检测。结果表明,苯并芘质量浓度在0．001～0．1μg／mL范围内与峰面积具有良好的线性关系,相关系数r=0．9999,检测限为0．4μg／kg,回收率在88．1％～94．2％之间,RSD为2．42％,操作简便,对样液的净化效果好,结果准确可靠。     

Bryophytes,a Source of Biologically Active,Naturally Occurring Material?

Chemical studies of the plant category of mosses (bryophytes) were neglected for a long time. They have now been shown to be a storehouse of naturally occurring materials, including some with novel chemical structures. Many of these materials display considerable biological activity. Investigations are hampered frequently by too small amounts of plant material. The resulting low yields of components are then generally inadequate to permit testing for biological activity. In vitro culture and appropriate chemical synthesis on a preparative scale are being undertaken to overcome this difficulty.     

The telomerisation of 1,3-butadiene and carbon dioxide: process development and optimisation in a continuous miniplant

The telomerisation of 1,3-butadiene and carbon dioxide is one of the first homogeneously catalyzed reactions using carbon dioxide as a C1-building block. In this article we describe the process development for a miniplant applying this telomerisation in a continuous scale. Through repeated optimisation of the plant setup combined with parallel laboratory batch experiments the overall space-time-yield of the plant was enhanced significantly.