Search

IntroductionParkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. However, effective preventative or therapeutic agents for PD remain largely limited. Marigold Calendula officinalis L. (CoL) has been reported to possess a wide range of biological activities, but its neuroprotective activity including anti-neurodegenerative diseases is unclear. Here, we aim to investigate whether the extract of CoL (ECoL) has therapeutic activity on PD.MethodsWe identified the chemical composition of flavonoid, an important active ingredient in ECoL, by a targeted HPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis. Subsequently, we evaluated the anti-PD effect of ECoL by using zebrafish PD model induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). After ECoL+MPTP co-treatments, the changes of dopaminergic neurons, neural vasculature, nervous system, and locomotor activity were examined, respectively. The expressions of genes related to neurodevelopment and autophagy were detected by RT-qPCR. Further, the interaction between autophagy regulators and ECoL flavonoids was predicted using molecular docking method.ResultsAs a result, 5 kinds of flavonoid were identified in ECoL, consisting of 121 flavones and flavonols, 32 flavanones, 22 isoflavonoids, 11 chalcones and dihydrochalcones, and 17 anthocyanins. ECoL significantly ameliorated the loss of dopaminergic neurons and neural vasculature, restored the injury of nervous system, and remarkably reversed the abnormal expressions of neurodevelopment-related genes. Besides, ECoL notably inhibited the locomotor impairment in MPTP-induced PD-like zebrafish. The underlying anti-PD effect of ECoL may be implicated in activating autophagy, as ECoL significantly upregulated the expressions of genes related to autophagy, which contributes to the degradation of α-synuclein aggregation and dysfunctional mitochondria. Molecular docking simulation showed the stable interaction between autophagy regulators (Pink, Ulk2, Atg7, and Lc3b) and 10 main compounds of flavonoid in ECoL, further affirming the involvement of autophagy activation by ECoL in anti-PD action.ConclusionOur results suggested that ECoL has the anti-PD effect, and ECoL might be a promising therapeutic candidate for PD treatment.

Traditional agricultural production requires numerous human and material resources; however, agricultural production efficiency is low. The successful development of plant protection unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has changed the operation mode of traditional agricultural production, saving human, material, and financial resources and significantly improving production efficiency. To summarize the process of improving the productivity of plant protection UAVs, this study established a productivity calculation model of UAVs based on the time composition of the UAV agricultural plant protection process, including spraying, turning, replenishment, and transfer times. The time required for the unmanned aircraft application process was counted through years of tracking the application process of eight different plant protection unmanned aircraft. Plot lengths of 100, 300, 500, 700, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 2,500, 3,000, and 3,500 m were established to calculate the theoretical productivity. The results showed that the productivity of different types of plant protection UAVs increased with an increase in plot length in the range of 100 to 1,500 m; however, when the plot length reached a certain value, the productivity growth rate slowed down or even decreased slightly. Simultaneously, based on the working area per 10,000 mu, the recommended plot length and the number of configured models for different models were recommended. If the plant protection UAV was distinguished by electric and oil power, the time utilization rate of electric plant protection UAVs was 72.7%, and the labor productivity was 56.4 mu/person·h. In contrast, the time utilization rate of the heavy load oil-powered plant protection unmanned aircraft was 86%, and the labor productivity was 63.5 mu/person ·h. This study can support plant protection UAV enterprises to optimize equipment efficiency, provide evaluation methods for the operation efficiency assessment of plant protection UAVs, provide a reference for the selection of plant protection UAVs, and provide a basis for field planning.

Lead (Pb) is among the deleterious heavy metal and has caused global health concerns due to its tendency to cause a detrimental effect on the development of the central nervous system (CNS). Despite being a serious health concern, treatment of Pb poisoning is not yet available, reflecting the pressing need for compounds that can relieve Pb-induced toxicity, especially neurotoxicity. In the quest of exploring protective strategies against Pb-induced developmental neurotoxicity, compounds from natural resources have gained increased attention. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) and its analogues neochlorogenic acid (NCGA) and cryptochlorogenic acid (CCGA) are the important phenolic compounds widely distributed in plants. Herein, utilizing zebrafish as a model organism, we modeled Pb-induced developmental neurotoxicity and investigated the protective effect of CGA, NCGA, and CCGA co-treatment. In zebrafish, Pb exposure (1,000 μg/L) for 5 days causes developmental malformation, loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons, and brain vasculature, as well as disrupted neuron differentiation in the CNS. Additionally, Pb-treated zebrafish exhibited abnormal locomotion. Notably, co-treatment with CGA (100 µM), NCGA (100 µM), and CCGA (50 µM) alleviated these developmental malformation and neurotoxicity induced by Pb. Further underlying mechanism investigation revealed that these dietary phenolic acid compounds may ameliorate Pb-induced oxidative stress and autophagy in zebrafish, therefore protecting against Pb-induced developmental neurotoxicity. In general, our study indicates that CGA, NCGA, and CCGA could be promising agents for treating neurotoxicity induced by Pb, and CCGA shows the strongest detoxifying activity.